Michael Block may not have been in contention to win the 2023 PGA Championship, but his four-day weekend at the Oak Hill Country Club will be remembered as nothing short of legendary after he made a hole-in-one in Sunday's fourth round.
After bogeying twice on the front nine, it appeared the PGA professional — making just his fifth appearance at the PGA Championship — would no longer have a chance for best finish by a club pro in tournament history. That quickly changed on Hole 15.
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Block hit the shot of a lifetime with the ace, which came on the par-3 15th hole. While the feat was impressive enough on its own, the shot itself made it even more amazing: It didn't bounce or roll in, but instead dunked in from the tee some 160 yards back.
Block, a fan favorite this weekend in Rochester, N.Y., moved back to even par for the tournament, making it possible for him to finish with four straight rounds of even par. In the meantime, his hole-in-one was rewarded with an ovation for his walk to the green:
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That shot tied Block for 14th, just three positions back of Lonnie Nielsen for best finish by a PGA professional in PGA Championship history (Nielsen finished tied for 11th in 1986). He bogeyed 17 but saved par on Hole 18 to finish 1 over for the championship.
With that last stroke, he finished tied for 15th — which guaranteed his entry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. He earned $288,333 for that finish.
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After his round, Block spoke with CBS's Amanda Balionis Renner, who informed him his hole-in-one was voted the shot of the round. He spoke at length about the shot, saying that, at first, he didn't think it had gone in.
"I was like, 'Why is Rory (McIlroy) giving me a hug for hitting it close?' It's kind of weird, but I was cool with it," he said.
The ace continued something of a fairytale weekend at Oak Hill for Block, who was understandably emotional afterward.
He got emotional on Friday as well when he found out he was ahead of defending Masters champion Jon Rahm. He expressed disbelief when he discovered he would be paired with Rory McIlroy for the final round Sunday.
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Regardless of how he finished, Block's not likely to ever forget his performance at Oak Hill this weekend.
As he told Balionis Renner, "It's not going to get better than this. No way. No chance in hell."