Michael Block Sets Early Pace In PGA Championship Qualifier

The 2023 PGA Championship hero is off to a flying start in an event that offers places at this year’s edition of the Major

Michael Block takes a shot at the Charles Schwab Challenge
Michael Block leads the way after the first round of the PGA Professional Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Two years after making headlines for his T15 finish in the PGA Championship, club pro Michael Block is once again eyeing the chance to earn his place in the second Major of the year.

Block, who is the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in his native California, is taking part in the PGA Professional Championship.

The event, which is open to PGA of America club professionals, offers 20 places in the field for next month’s Quail Hollow Major, and the 48-year-old got off to a flying start with a seven-under first round of 64 at PGA Golf Club in Florida, including eight birdies and just one bogey.

In total, 312 PGA of America professionals are competing in the event, and Block headed back to the clubhouse top of the leaderboard after his opening round, with a one-shot advantage over Jesse Meuller, Tommi Avant and Peter Ballo. That also puts him in prime position for exemptions into six PGA Tour events over the next 12 months, which is handed to the winner.

Rory McIlroy and Michael Block at the PGA Championship

Block was paired with Rory McIlroy in the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship

(Image credit: Getty Images)

However, it will surely be the chance to reach the PGA Championship again that Block is really aiming for. Two years ago, he created a sensation at the Oak Hill Country Club event. His brilliant performance saw him finish one over for the tournament, and ahead of established stars including Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm.

Not only that, but he was paired with Rory McIlroy in the final round, and stole his thunder with a slam dunk hole-in-one at the par-3 15th.

Block’s performance, which secured him low PGA Professional honors, also guaranteed him a place in the 2024 edition, although on that occasion he missed the cut. If Block does qualify for this year’s tournament, it will be his fourth successive appearance in the Major and his seventh in total.

Michael Block with the Low PGA Professional trophy after the PGA Championship

Block was Low PGA Professional at the 2023 PGA Championship

(Image credit: Getty Images)

He will surely be confident of achieving that given the start he made at the PGA Professional Championship. The tournament, which features 72 holes of strokeplay, finishes on April 30th.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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