by Here are some things Michael Block did in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge:
- Hit his first shot of the day into the woods
- Buried his third shot of the day into the face of a bunker
- Bladed a wedge 42 yards past the pin
- Fielded photo requests from members of his substantial gallery
- Birdied the par-3 fourth hole after hitting a fairway wood to four feet
- Nearly holed his approach on the ninth hole
- Hit his approach shot on the 10th hole off of a concrete bridge
- Mugged for fans and cameras after almost every shot
- Double bogeyed three of his last four holes
- Lost nearly seven strokes to the field on and around the greens, a day after touting his “world-class” short game to Bob Menery on the Ripper Magoo Podcast
- Signed for an 81, +11, 120th out of 120 players, four shots behind 119th
Block, the 46-year-old head golf professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, is more skilled than he showed yesterday, but he’s not a PGA Tour-level talent. His exhilarating T-15 performance at last week’s PGA Championship was an anomaly, unlikely to be replicated on a big stage no matter how many sponsor invites he receives.
But dammit if he isn’t entertaining. Just look at that list again!
Like many watchable people, Blockie can grate. His post-shot antics often seem performative, and his self-confidence occasionally feels like self-regard. This isn’t a comment on who he actually is, just how he comes off—to me, at least.
The golf media, even the broader sports media, has worked overtime to convert Block’s everydude charisma into clicks, and he has welcomed the attention. On yesterday’s Charles Schwab Challenge telecast, announcer Smylie Kaufman said that Block had given no fewer than 30 interviews between PGA Sunday and Colonial Thursday. Thirty!
But after the ill-advised Ripper Magoo appearance on Wednesday and the 81 on Thursday, the online Block discourse turned ornery. Which is understandable, but too bad. There’s no need to hammer the guy. It would be far better, now that his golf has returned to earth, simply to move on.
Can we?
This piece originally appeared in The Fried Egg newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
