PGA Championship
PGA Championship 2023: Michael Block dunks one for an ace on 15 because sports aren't real life
Andrew Redington
As the great Gus Johnson once proclaimed, "THE SLIPPER STILL FITS."
CBS' Ian Baker-Finch didn't quite scream it as loudly as Johnson did, but the line couldn't have fit more perfectly for what happened at the par-3 15th hole on Sunday afternoon at Oak Hill. Club pro Michael Block, the Cinderella story of all Cinderella stories, pulled off the unthinkable. A hole-in-one.
And not just any old hole-in-one. Block dunked it. Flew it in from 151 yards away. In front of Rory McIlroy. We're not making this up:
"No, no?" says Block in complete disbelief. "No way, no way." In that moment, he spoke for all of us. You could not script this stuff if you tried.
Making it even more impressive is that to that point, Block has actually played very solidly. While most likely penciled him in for a 75 or worse (Block was a +360 underdog in a head-to-head with McIlroy on Sunday), Block arrived at the 15th tee two over on his round. For a club pro, that's golfing your ball under major championship Sunday pressure. The ace, of course, got him back to level par for the week.
After arriving at the green and scooping his ball out of the cup, Block and his caddie John Jackson could be heard soaking it all in behind the 15th green. "It's going to cause a delay," Jackson said, referring to the fact the PGA would have to repair the cup for the final few groups after Block's ball damaged it by flying directly in.
"I'll cause that delay every time," Block said.
Block completed the week by finishing T-15, which was good enough to secure a repeat invitation to next year's PGA Championship at Valhalla (without having to qualify, which is the path to club pros playing in the event). The Mission Viejo, Calif.-based pro also received a sponsor's exemption into next week's Charles Schwab Invitational. The fairy tale lives on!
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