Club professional Michael Block’s fairytale week at the 2023 US PGA Championship continued with a hole-in-one in Sunday’s final round at Oak Hill.
Playing alongside four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy, Block’s tee shot on the par-three 15th slammed straight into the hole for an eagle to get him back to level par for the day and the championship.
The 46-year-old, who is the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, struggled to believe what had just happened.
After he was greeted by a high-five from a laughing McIlroy, Block could be heard saying: “No, no. No way. Rory, did it go in?”
As he walked off alongside caddie John Jackson, Block added: "You gotta be kidding me."
PGA professional Michael Block with a slam dunk ACE at the 15th! 🎯
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 21, 2023
Doing it whilst playing with @McIlroyRory on a Sunday at a Major.. 🤩#PGAChamppic.twitter.com/eLfvonU8lX
After retrieving his ball, Block realised that it had damaged the hole and that there would be a slight delay while that was repaired.
He then turned to a cameraman while filling in his card and joked, "Are you ready for this?", before writing in and circling the figure 1.
Block finished one over par for the tournament, with a superb up-and-down for par at the last ensuring a top-15 finish, a $288,000 prize and a place in next season's championship.
"It hasn’t sunk in yet," he said at the trophy presentation. "I didn’t see it go in at all and then Rory turns around and he gives me a hug. So yeah, pretty cool."
McIlroy said afterwards: "It was an amazing golf shot. That hole has given me fits all week and Michael stands up and hits this lovely little draw back in, ball goes straight in the hole. I guess when it's your week, it's your week and it was a fitting way to cap off his PGA Championship."
