Michael Block’s magic hasn’t quite run out since the end of the PGA Championship, but he didn’t have much left in Fort Worth, Texas.
Four days after finishing a T15 performance at Oak Hill – including a hole-in-one – the 46-year-old education pro took part in the Charles Schwab Challenge on a sponsorship waiver. He didn’t post a rep in the first round, though at least he had his moments.
Block started with three straight bogies, then got about a yard after hitting another hole-in-one on the fourth hole at Colonial Country Club.
Six holes later, Block was in a tight spot when a 277-yard drive came to a stop on a bridge on the far right of the fairway. Block somehow saved par, starting with an incredible breakaway from the bridge that landed just short of the green.
That was the good thing.
The bad came on the rest of the back nine, in which Block went bogey, bogey, bogey, par, double bogey, double bogey, par, double bogey to finish the round 11-over and in last place by a margin of four to succeed . Rory Sabbatini was penultimate with 7-over.
Speaking to reporters after the round, Block had a sober outlook:
“It’s one of those golf days. When you play golf you know exactly what just happened. So I don’t need to explain too much because if you’re a golfer you’ve had the day I had. You get the facts where the lies are no good and the trees get in your way every time Even your good shots are bad, your bad shots are worse and so on and so forth.
“It is what it is. I’m going to live with it. I thought it was going to happen that third or fourth round at Oak Hill last week, and it never happened. It happened now and I wasn’t surprised by it, to tell you the truth to tell.”
While Friday’s round was significantly better – Block posted a 4-over 74 – he finished 15-over in the week. He missed the cut, and was last in the field.
He will certainly reflect on what a wild few weeks have been at one point. But for now, he just wants to go back to his family.
“I’m not going to let it all go until I’m probably in the — when I get to my house and I’m sitting in the backyard — no, I can’t talk about it right now,” Block said Friday. “My black lab Messy, he’s waiting for me. I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks and I can’t wait to get home and throw the ball with him.”
Given the overall numbers, it was not an impressive performance from Block, who has already received much recognition. He will not play the last round with a great champion like Rory McIlroy. But for a man who qualified for last week’s tournament via a club pro qualifier and made his first big win 16 years after his first appearance, every moment in the sun is a beautiful sight in a sport loved by everyone.