Michael Block Got Sick of Michael Block, Too. Then He Stopped Giving a Sh*t.

For a forty-something full-time club pro to play his way into the PGA Championship field five years in a row is a heckuva story, but if that club pro is Michael Block…well, it gets a little more complicated.

Ever since his star turn at the 2023 PGA—during which he finished 15th and made a Sunday ace playing alongside Rory McIlroy—Block has been a lightning rod. Some folks love to see such a short-hitter mix it up with the big boys. Others have been put off by Block’s brash comments and high profile in the media. But the 49 year-old head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California just keeps doing his thing. Now, he has played his way into the field at Aronimink with a stellar performance at the 2026 PGA Professional Championship at Bandon Dunes. With Block turning 50 a month after the PGA Championship, this seemed like the right time to get his reflections on a very path to quasi-stardom.

Skratch: Congrats on playing your way into another PGA Championship. You're making it look easy, but do you still recognize that it's a significant achievement?

Michael Block: Oh, yeah, for sure. I qualified for the U.S. Open at Oakmont in ‘07, and I thought that was gonna be it. Forever. And to look back now, this is my 10th major and I’ve played in a good number of PGA TOUR events, it’s beyond belief for a kid that grew up playing baseball in Iowa. I feel incredibly fortunate.

Skratch: Your self-image interests me because you've always been a little bit on the outside looking in. Do you finally feel like you belong?

MB: Do I belong with the Scottie Schefflers and the Rory McIlroys of the world? Obviously not. I mean, they're a couple flights ahead of me as far as skill level is concerned. But if you look at 2023, the stars aligned and it was the most unbelievable week of my life, and for a few days I was almost able to hang with them. I don't think that will ever happen again. Um, I can pretty much guarantee that it won’t, but the great thing about golf is that I put myself in a position where it could happen again, and nobody gave that to me. I earned it.

Skratch: Okay, let’s go back to Oak Hill. What happened that allowed you to bring out that kind of golf? Because that’s a big ballpark.

MB: Well, the first two days the fairways were firm and dry and it was rolling out like I needed it to, so that gave me a chance. But then on Saturday it poured rain all day long. I have a 2 o'clock tee time with Justin Rose and it's still pouring rain when I tee off and I'm like, I'm dead. Like, I'm going to shoot a 95. But I was still stoked because I knew I was going to be low club pro since no one else made the cut. So I just convinced myself to go out and have a good time. And Rosie and I had a blast. I mean, we were making every putt we looked at, we’re giving each other high fives and he was rooting me on and it was just an awesome vibe. Somehow, I snuck out a 70 in the rain at Oak Hill. And then, you know, I did that one interview when I found I was playing with Rory. I mean, I thought the camera was off. I had already had the most unbelievable three days, and then to play with Rory and all the craziness that happened that day, it was definitely beyond my wildest dreams.

The great thing about golf is that I put myself in a position where it could happen again, and nobody gave that to me. I earned it.

Skratch: But what was different about your game that week, and can you recapture it?

MB: I have to stay on the fairways because you can't be short and crooked, as everyone knows. And that week I drove it really straight. The big key was during the practice rounds, I was hitting pulls with my irons, and so out of desperation I went to a modified finish—more of a vertical release, and not a lot of right hand turnover. All of a sudden, I started hitting it dead straight. And I was like, Oh boy! Because I loved those greens and the putter felt great in my hands and I knew if I could hit fairways and greens I could compete.

Skratch: Have you gone back to that swing thought since then?!

MB: Oh yeah. It's definitely a feel thing where I can keep the club face more square for a longer period of time through the impact zone, which is key for me. You know, that shot goes probably five to eight yards shorter, but I know I have it when I need it.

Skratch: Sounds like a good shot for Bandon Dunes. I'm curious about your mindset when you show up for the club pro championship: Do you feel like you’re the big dog, like you're in the A-flight, versus how you feel when you turn up for the PGA Championship?

MB: One hundred percent. One thing I've learned, and my wife beats it into my brain, is that I just need to be me. Because at the club professional events I always feel like the alpha dog and I do have success, but I didn’t carry that same confidence to TOUR events and I wouldn't play good golf. As you know, if you're not over that golf ball with the utmost confidence, you're not going to make your best swing. If you’re tight, horrible things happen. Now, when I get to Aronimink, I’ll have some buddies out there, and everyone knows my game. Everyone knows I’m going to be the shortest hitter in the field, and I’m okay with that. Back in the day, I think I was trying to be someone I’m not. I was actually concerned with not finishing the week dead last in driving distance. Now I could care less. My goal is to hit the most fairways and have the fewest putts and if I do that I can compete, doing it my way. Instead of trying to be the 10th shortest driver or something ridiculous like that.

My goal is to hit the most fairways and have the fewest putts and if I do that I can compete

Skratch: Were there times when you lost your way chasing distance?

MB: One hundred percent. Right after the 2023 PGA Championship, actually. I felt like if I could get longer I could play like that every week, and that was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I tried everything under the sun and, yes, I created more distance, but I couldn't hit a fairway to save my life. I lost sight of who I was. And so I went back to the beater cut—just get in the fairway and go from there and be happy with it. And I started having much better results.

Skratch: What is a successful PGA Championship for you at this point?

MB: Make the cut, low club pro. Stand on 18 green on Sunday with the champion. That's a huge thing for me: Just make the cut and have fun. That's it. If I finish 30th versus 60th, it's not going to change my life one way or the other, which is a really nice thing. I've got tons of family and friends coming with me. I've got my son, Ethan, on the bag once again. So I can't lose. It’s going to be nothing but positives.

Skratch: With you being on the precipice of Senior golf, does this feel a little bit like a swan song?

MB: Oh yeah, definitely. I was actually surprised I made it again this year. After the PGA, I’m focused only on Senior golf. I’m trying to get into some events. I’m going through qualifying for the Senior U.S. Open, the Senior Scottish Open already gave me an exemption, which was so nice of them. I’m trying to play in a handful of events but I don’t want my card.

Looking at the next few years, if I can play in, let’s call it six Champions Tour events and a couple of Senior majors, that would be a fantastic schedule for me. I don't want to lose my job here at Arroyo. I love my job. I love what I do. They’re nice enough to let me leave town and play some events but I don’t want to push it. I'm not out here trying to become rich or famous or anything like that. I just really love the game of golf. But there's a lot of pressure that comes along with tournament golf. It takes a lot out of me. I’m looking forward to giving that up and getting back on the range and helping people with their golf swings.

Skratch: I think people forget you’re a full-time club pro. What is a typical workday or work week like for you at Arroyo?

MB: Back in the day, I would teach all morning and all afternoon. Since the 2023 thing, I have less time for teaching, which is a bummer. That’s part of why I only see myself playing a couple of seasons on the Champions tour because I want to get back to teaching. I love that part of the job. Now, a lot of my time is spent on correspondence. Merchandising for the pro shop. Stuff like that. I still do payroll every week; I'll be approving payroll from the driving range at Aronimink. It’s pretty funny how much shop business I have done in the middle of the PGA Championship or at PGA Tour events.

Skratch: I love that. Do you still have to police interpersonal issues at the club? Like, do you have to call members into your office and scold them?

MB: Every once in a while! It’s Southern California, everyone's pretty laid back and has a great time. But yeah, every once in a while there is a dispute about slow play, or someone hitting into someone, and yeah, I do have to step in and help solve it.

Skratch: You’re doing the Lord’s work. And yet lotsa folks want to banish club pros entirely from the PGA Championship! Do you follow that discourse?

And I get it—I was sick of Blockie, too!

MB: Yeah, I hear it. And that motivates me to want to play well. If the club pros always finished 136th-156th at the PGA, I would agree that the number should go down, that 20 spots is too many. But that never happens. Guys make the cut, guys finish well ahead of many of the best players in the world. But we have full-time jobs, we’re not used to a stage like that or course conditions like that, so of course some guys struggle. But I do think it remains an important way to showcase that club pros have game, too, and to maintain what has always been part of the history of the tournament.

Skratch: On the subject of Narrative: how aware have you been that “Blockie” is a surprisingly controversial figure in the golf world?

MB: Oh, very aware. And I get it—I was sick of Blockie, too! I didn't want to hear my voice. I didn't want to see that hole in one ever again. I mean, it got so shoved down everybody's throat. For a couple months after the 2023 PGA, or really almost a year after, there was way too much of me out there, and I understand that people got tired of it. Like, I don’t blame people. If I’m sick of myself, I can only imagine how other people felt. And I didn’t help by saying a couple of stupid things. But, I was just a club pro who had never been in the limelight before, and suddenly the whole world was coming at me and I tried to handle it the best I could. But haters are gonna hate. It is what it is. I’m just a normal guy. I love my dog and my wife and my kids and the simple things in life. I try to treat people well. That’s all I can do.

Skratch: In the moment it’s not so easy to be philosophical.

MB: Oh no, definitely not. I mean, I'm an emotional guy. I get hurt for sure. I mean, I've stopped looking at the comments under any post about me because, in the beginning, I was looking at all the comments and I'd literally be depressed. It hurt. I was a 47 year-old guy and suddenly it felt like a lot of people hated me for no real reason and that sucked. But I try not to worry about that stuff anymore. At Aronimink I’ll give everyone high fives and sign every autograph and just focus on all of the good feelings.

Skratch: I love that video you posted from Bandon, with Metallica playing in the background. It felt like you were blowing a kiss to the haters. Like, Hey, I’m still here.

MB: When I woke up that morning I knew I needed a deep round on a tough day. I usually listen to Rüfüs Du Sol or Tears for Fears, stuff like that. I’m looking for a kind of vibe. That morning, I was like, I'm going to be a mountain lion today. I'm going to attack from behind. And I put on Metallica driving to the course with my buddy and we started rocking out. And that song was in my head the entire day, and it helped me get after it.

Skratch: That’s honestly when I decided I wanted to do this story. It was like, this guy just is who he is.

MB: It’s the only way I know how to be.