Open qualifier in California on the Monday of Canadian Open week, and that’s a long haul to Toronto on the Tuesday. And for the latter, it was about a week in the spotlight that he’ll remember forever.īlock will play this week’s Charles Schwab Championship at Colonial Country Club on a sponsor’s exemption, and he’s accepted an invite to play in the RBC Canadian Open in two weeks’ time. For the former, it was about returning to a life once lived. Which is another contrast that emerged between Koepka and Block at Oak Hill. He said so repeatedly when he played on the PGA Tour, so in that sense, nothing is different between then and now. It remains unfortunate that he and other stars have largely disappeared from the public eye, but Koepka, in particular, only ever cared about the majors anyways. “I definitely think it helps LIV, but I’m more interested in my own self right now, to be honest with you,” Koepka said. When asked about that league, Koepka basically shrugged the question off. Had Phil Mickelson done the unthinkable and won at Augusta in April, you can bet he would have used his press conference to espouse all that’s awesome about LIV. They went for the money, plain and simple, and neither has mumbled any malarky about trying to grow the game. Of all the big-name LIV golfers, Koepka and his one-time best chum Dustin Johnson are the two who’ve pulled no punches as to why they play there. This is not to discredit the now five-time major winner. If Koepka was the tournament’s champion, Block was that of the people. He talked with the aw-shucks tone of a man aware that his fame will last the proverbial 15 minutes. Interviewed repeatedly, he spoke lovingly of his golf-playing sons, his club, his members, his students and his PGA brethren. It wasn’t just Block’s hole-in-one heroics that endeared him to fans in Rochester and those watching on TV worldwide. Block did just that, earning $288,333 and a spot in next year’s PGA Championship in Kentucky. Every year the top 20 finishers at that event get to play in the major that their association conducts but rarely does one make a mark. and was in the field at Oak Hill as the runner-up at this year’s PGA Professional Championship. The 46-year-old club pro finished a remarkable tied for 15th at the PGA Championship, punctuated by a Sunday hole-in-one down the stretch while playing with Rory McIlroy.īlock spends much of his time teaching lessons for $125 at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif. In contrast to Koepka was Michael Block, the working man who captured countless hearts with his wonderful week. It was vintage Koepka, a ruthless competitor who is feared, not loved, unless you count the bevy of brahs there to high-five him as he strutted his way towards the scoring area.
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