Michael Block Ties For 10th At Bandon Dunes To Grab Us Pga Return

Michael Block is back in the us pga by way of Bandon Dunes, where the 46-year-old Southern California club pro tied for 10th at the PGA Professional Championship last month. That finish put him into his eighth PGA Championship and sent him to Aronimink after a week built on qualifying, not a sponsor exemption.

Block and Ethan at Aronimink

Block arrived early in Philadelphia and spent Sunday on Aronimink's back nine before playing the front nine Monday. On Thursday, he and his son Ethan marked up the yardage book, part of a prep routine he said he has refined: "I’ve learned a couple ways to do the practice rounds" and "I do nine holes every day starting on Sunday, so I get to see the course twice."

He called Aronimink "This is such a second-shot golf course, it’s insane" and said he drives the ball about 290 yards on average. That kind of setup puts a premium on positioning, which is exactly how he approached the week after qualifying with rounds of 71-70 and 78-69 at Bandon Dunes.

Dustin Johnson, Rasmus Højgaard

Block was grouped with Dustin Johnson and Rasmus Højgaard in the opening round and said of the pairing, "Two absolute bombers." He added, "Do not try to hang with them. We’re just going to play our own game" and, "Main thing was get it in the fairway, put it in a spot, on the green or even off the green that would give us an opportunity to still make a par."

He did that well enough to open with an even-par 70, making 10 pars and four birdies while taking bogeys at holes 4 and 8 and a double bogey at hole 12. The score was one better than Cameron Young and four better than Rory McIlroy, a tidy line for a player whose return path came through a field of club pros instead of the usual invitation route.

From Oak Hill to Philadelphia

Block's name traveled fast after the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, where he made an ace on the 15th hole and finished 15th. Since then he has played in two more PGA Championships and eight other PGA Tour events, but this week's start came from the qualifying grind at Bandon Dunes and not from the buzz that followed his breakout.

That matters because his opening round at Aronimink was not a one-off appearance built only on memory. He kept the round together despite the double bogey at 12, later saying, "Even on my bogeys today, I never hit a bad shot," and the score left him in position to keep playing into the tournament on the path he earned last month.