The PGA Championship, the second major of the 2023 men’s golf season ($17.5 million in total prize money), which ended on Feb. 22, was the men’s version of the Cinderella story. A man who recorded a ‘dunk hole-in-one’ while playing with world golf star Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and earned about 380 million won. Golf fans were enthralled by the fairytale story of Michael Block (USA), a club pro who charges about $200,000 an hour for lessons. Foreign news outlets said Block’s story captivated golf fans across the United States. “The PGA Championship, which was almost ruined by Brooks Koepka’s victory at LIV Golf, was made better by Block,” said the UK’s Telegraph.
Block appeared on CNN’s morning program in the U.S. on Sept. 23 and said, “I feel like my life has changed a little bit. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud and I’m happy.”
Block, the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California, began his PGA Championship run with a top-10 finish through three rounds. On the final round’s 15th hole (a par-3), he teed off with a 7-iron from 151 yards and hit a “hole-in-one dunk” that landed in the cup. It was a “wonder shot” that thrilled his fellow player, PGA Tour standout McIlroy.
Block recalls, “I actually didn’t see the ball go in, and Rory just turned around and threw his arms around me and hugged me. I asked him what happened, and he informed me that it went in the hole. I thought it was crazy,” he said.
Referring to the 1996 movie Tin Cup, he said, “It’s kind of like my story. I’m a club pro and I teach golf. I was playing against world-class players – Justin Rose in the third round, McIlroy in the final round – and I had the most support of my life. It was an unbelievable feeling.” The Teen Cup is a movie about a young man who spends his days as a lesson pro at a rural golf club in Texas who decides to compete in the U.S. Open to win the love of his life.
Block’s cinematic story didn’t end there. He finished tied for 15th, securing a spot in next year’s PGA Championship and earning $288,333 in prize money. That’s more than Block, who teaches for $150 an hour, would have earned in 1,900 lessons.메이저사이트
He also received a sponsored invitation to the U.S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge this week and the RBC Canadian Open, which begins next month. A video of him breaking down in tears after being invited to the Charles Schwab Challenge was shared on social media, with Block saying, “My wife has never seen me cry before. But today, I woke up crying. I’m having one dream after another.”
He’s canceling lessons this week to fly to Texas to compete in the Charles Schwab Challenge. “I’m sure the members will understand,” Block said.
Asked by USA Today if he should raise his rates, Block said, “No matter what, $150 an hour is enough for me. My wife might ask me to raise it, but I don’t want to charge more,” he said, according to USA Today.