'How can I not help': Virat Kohli opens up on helping Prince Yadav dismiss him, says he wants youngsters to grow
Kohli opens up on helping Yadav dismiss him in IPL 2026
Michael Block, a Southern California club pro, gained fame during the 2023 PGA Championship and continues to thrive in the spotlight. His unique personality and memorable performances have led to numerous corporate deals and appearances since his breakout.
Mentioned in this story
Michael Block and his caddie-son, Ethan, in the first round of the PGA Championship.getty images
In the pantheon of sports legends, Southern California club pro Michael Block lands somewhere between Jeremy Lin and Sidd Finch, with a touch of Shivas Irons mixed in for good measure. Heâs real (we think) but does things and says things that imbue in him a deeply mythical quality.
You remember Blockie. Heâs the philosopher and life coach disguised as a golfer who, at 46, burst into the sports worldâs consciousness at the 2023 PGA Championship. Blockâs first dose of virality that week at Oak Hill came when ESPN micâd him up during the first round, and the pro, exuding stunning cool in front of a national TV audience, described Oak Hill as what might result if Oakmont and Shinnecock had âa baby.â Three days later, he achieved cult-hero status playing in the final round with Rory McIlroy, when Block made an ace on 15 and then delivered a dazzling up-and-down on the 72nd hole to finish 15th.
The Blockie Express was off and chugging, and it hasnât slowed down much since. Since his breakout week, he has played in two more PGA Championships (this week at Aronmink marks his third) and eight other PGA Tour events; made more corporate appearances than Shaq; and inspired more memes than Charlie Sheen. His fame has led to deals with a slew of companies including, but not limited to, TaylorMade, Malbon Golf, Cisco, Charles Schwab and Raising Caneâs. Not bad for a guy whose day job is straightening out slices on the range at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif.
This year, Block had to earn his way into the PGA Championship the old-fashioned way: by qualifying via the PGA Professional Championship, which was conducted at Bandon Dunes, in Oregon, last month. Block opened 71-70 before 30-mph winds left the players in survival mode in the last two rounds. His closing 78-69 was good enough for a tie for 10th place and a golden ticket to his eighth PGA Championship.
Michael Block finished 15th at the 2023 PGA Championship, famously making an ace on the 15th hole and playing alongside Rory McIlroy.
Since the PGA Championship, Michael Block has participated in two more PGA Championships and eight other PGA Tour events, along with numerous corporate appearances.
Michael Block has secured deals with companies such as TaylorMade, Malbon Golf, Cisco, Charles Schwab, and Raising Caneâs.
Michael Block's caddie at the PGA Championship is his son, Ethan.
Kohli opens up on helping Yadav dismiss him in IPL 2026

El CĂĄdiz empata 1-1 en CastellĂłn y se mantiene fuera del descenso una semana mĂĄs.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
This week, in Philadelphia, Block arrived early. He played Aronominkâs back nine on Sunday followed by the front nine Monday. âIâve learned a couple ways to do the practice rounds,â he said. âI do nine holes every day starting on Sunday, so I get to see the course twice.â Blockâs son, Ethan, is on the bag and has worked closely with his father on tactics. On Thursday, they rose early and marked up their yardage book as a shipâs captain might a nautical chart. âThis is such a second-shot golf course, itâs insane,â Block said.
Good thing for Block, because, with a driving-distance average that hangs around 290 yards, heâs not a first-shot kind of guy. In the opening round, Block was grouped with Dustin Johnson and Rasmus HĂžjgaard. âTwo absolute bombers,â Block said, and indeed in most fairways he was 50-plus yards behind his playing partners. âI said, âDo not try to hang with them. Weâre just going to play our own game,ââ Block said. âMain 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.â
Block made 10 of those along with four birdies on his way to an even-par 70 that was one better than Cameron Youngâs tally and four better than McIlroyâs. Even Blockâs bad holes â he made bogeys at 4 and 8 and a double at 12 â werenât that bad, he said. âEven on my bogeys today, I never hit a bad shot,â he said. âThey just didnât end up with our calculations to be in the correct spot, and it is what it is after that.â
A silhouette of Martin Kaymer during the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink.
Block doesnât turn lemons into lemonade; he turns them into Cristal. His blinding positivity is one of his superpowers. âYou canât lose confidence over a bad shot, and thatâs a really, really important key that I try to teach not only myself, but my students as well,â he said. That confidence can read as cockiness, which some observers have found off-putting. But thereâs also another dimension to Block, which has made him an object of endless fascination: a wide-eyed golly-gee-ism, as if he still canât wrap his head around the rare air in which he finds himself.
Case in point: a bathroom break Block took early in his opening round. âThere was no mirror, so I wasnât looking at myself,â he said. âBut I said, âYou got this. I go, Youâre actually pretty good, buddy.â
âAnd I just kept going. Iâm like, âIâm with D.J., one of my idols, a guy I looked up to my whole life, and Rasmus, whoâs an unbelievable player, heâs like 63 in the world.â Iâm just going, âYou got this, bud. You got it.â Itâs cool. Itâs really cool. Itâs kind of fun, to be honest. Iâm proud of myself for just grinding it through and having fun with the boys.â
That fun has continued. On Friday, in the first group out, Block shot one over on the front nine and, as of this writing, is one over for the tournament, safely under the projected (albeit early) two-over cut line. Heâs doing what he set out to do. As he said Thursday evening, âI feel like I could get out there and shoot another even par, something like that, and put myself in halfway contention going into the weekend, which to be honest is going to be unbelievable.â
Again.
The post Cult hero Michael Block going full âBlockieâ at another PGA Championship appeared first on Golf.