SI

Golf Fans Did Not Appreciate This Bold Claim by Michael Block

Block compared his game to Rory McIlroy’s during a recent podcast appearance, and fans weren’t happy with his claim.

Gabrielle Herzig

Golf Fans Did Not Appreciate This Bold Claim by Michael Block
Golf Fans Did Not Appreciate This Bold Claim by Michael Block /

Michael Block, the 46-year-old club pro who finished T15 at the PGA Championship, was the story of last week’s tournament, perhaps even more so than the eventual champion, Brooks Koepka. 

The PGA professional was so well received by fans around the country that he was offered a sponsor exemption to tee it up at the Charles Schwab Challenge, this week’s PGA Tour event. 

That meant that Block’s time in the spotlight was extended significantly: He participated in a series of interviews with the likes of ABC's Good Morning America and CNN, where he continued to feed the world’s interest in his run at Oak Hill and epic Sunday hole in one.

But on Wednesday night, a clip from Block’s interview with internet personality and comedian Bob Menery caused a sudden shift in the golf community’s reception of the club pro. 

In the clip, Menery asks Block to explain how his game differs from Rory McIlroy’s, who Block played with in the final round of the PGA on Sunday. 

“He’s a lot longer than I am, that’s what it is,” Block said. 

“O.K., so the length is the big thing?” Menery responded. 

“Oh my god, what I would shoot from where Rory hits it would be stupid. I think I’d be one of the best players in the world. Hands down. If I had that stupid length? All day. My iron game, wedge game, around the greens and my putting is world class,” Block said. 

The quote, which immediately went viral on social media, was not taken particularly well by the golf community. 

Content is unavailable
Published
Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

Home/Golf