Club professional Michael Block’s fairytale week at the US PGA Championship continued with a hole-in-one in Sunday’s final round at Oak Hill.
Playing alongside four-time major winner 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.
The 46-year-old, who is the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California, struggled to believe what had just happened, saying: “No, no. No way. Rory did it go in?”
After retrieving his ball Block realised that it had damaged the hole and that there would be a slight delay while that was repaired.
“I will cause that delay every time, I don’t care,” he told his caddie.
Speaking after saving par on the 18th to secure a share of 15th and a place in the field for next year’s US PGA, Block told CBS: “I have never made a hole-in-one in a tournament in my life and to make it at that moment was probably the most surreal moment I will have in my life.
“It’s amazing. I’m living a dream and making sure I enjoy this moment. It’s not going to get better than this, no chance in hell.”
McIlroy added: “It was an amazing golf shot.
“That hole has sort of given me fits all week. I haven’t really liked the look of it, and Michael stands up and hits this lovely little draw back into the left wind and the ball goes straight in the hole.
“I guess sort of when it’s your week, it’s your week in a way and I think with the way the week went for him, it was a fitting way to cap off his PGA Championship.”
