Can one ace in a major define a golfer’s form for the rest of the year? Certainly not. But what happened after Michael Block shot an ace on hole 15 of the 2023 PGA Championship’s Sunday round, can be stated otherwise. The ace at the major landed Block at T15 on the leaderboard and helped him bag a whopping $288,333.
At that moment, Block, who wasn’t a top-tier PGA Tour player, was living a fairytale. He said,
“To say least, I’m living a dream.”
But what followed next was certainly unexpected for the golfer. His fate took a u-turn and his moment of fame was soon over.
Michael Block ended up missing three cuts consecutively at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the RBC Canadian Open, and the World Wide Technology Championship. Block even missed cuts at the American Express and the Farmers Insurance Open this year.
As a result of his poor performances, his inclusion at the 2023 Australian Open wasn’t well perceived by the golf fraternity. Scott Hend said,
“Well done to Michael and his agent for getting whatever they did for this to happen…This is just showing and confirming where a once respected tournament is heading … poor leadership, at the very least.”
Not just him, but the entire golf community voiced against the inclusion of Michael Block at the Australian Open.
When Golf Fans Voiced Their Dissatisfaction Against Michael Block’s 2023 Australian Open Invitation
NUCLR Golf posted a photo of the golfer along with his record at the WWT event, where Michael missed the cut. The page highlighted the veteran’s next trip to Australia for the Open.
As a result, the 47-year-old received a huge backlash from fans. Most of them called him an undeserving participant.
A fan wanted Block to be out of the Australian Open and bluntly stated his resistance.
Another fan shared his hatred for Block and called him undeserving.
A cybercitizen took a jab at the veteran golfer and said that his moments of fame at the PGA Championship were up.
An online follower blatantly stated that nobody cared about Block.
A fan took a dig at Block and claimed that the golfer’s limits were only up to defeating the club pros.
A golf enthusiast asked Block to sign with TGL despite playing on the tour.
Even Block realized that he received more disgust from people than acclamation. After coming to the spotlight, he couldn’t retain his form. Block said,
“I’ve got a lot of fans and I’ve got some people who don’t wish me the best!”
But despite all the ominous remarks, Block finished at T27 in the Australian Open. Yet, his streak of missing cuts was carried over to the next year. It is to see if the one-hit wonder can ever restore his fame by playing better.