Michael Block had a week of golf he’ll never forget at the 2023 PGA Championship. And it’s due in no small part to how he recovered from a near-disastrous shank in the second round.
Block, a club pro with only 24 PGA Tour events in his career, started Friday’s round of competition with three birdies in five holes, quickly moving up the leaderboard and challenging for the outright lead. He entered the stretch run 3 under par before a bogey on Hole 4 and double bogey on Hole 5 threatened to derail his week.
The double bogey on par-3 fifth hole was particularly egregious: Block shanked his tee shot off a tree into the rough, nearly 100 yards away from the 165-yard hole. He ultimately lost two strokes as a result, but was able to rebound for four straight pars to finish the round at even par.
I’m going to have nightmares about this shank from Michael Block. pic.twitter.com/ANa2atHcRD
— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) May 19, 2023
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Block, professional that he is, even turned his near-disaster into a teachable moment. He spoke at length about the shot following Round 2 on Friday, including how he diagnosed and corrected the issue with his swing:
Block said his hands were getting too far away from his body, and that he needed to keep them tighter to his body. To do that, Block said he used his own drill that he teaches students to correct his swing:
“What I like to do is set up to the golf ball and then actually swing and hit the ground on the inside of the golf ball — like not even hit the ball — on a practice swing. So just take it, hit it inside the golf ball a couple of times and feel that space. And to get those hands in tight.
“If you watch a lot of the best players in the world, their hands are extremely close to their body at the moment of impact. A lot of the worst players in the world, their hands are far away from their body at the moment of impact.”
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Block shot an even round on Saturday and 1 over par on Sunday to finish 1 over for the tournament. (In an act of ultimate redemption, Block dunked a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th in the final round, only adding to his fairytale outing.)
That placed him tied for 15th, which not only earned him $288,333 in winnings but also secured exemption for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Ky. His shank might not have been the prettiest moment at Oak Hill Country Club, but it proved to be a pivotal moment regardless.
“Club pros I always heard figure it out within a couple shots,” Block said. “Tour pros figure it out within one shot, and I was lucky enough to figure it out within one shot this time.”