Michael Block has bizarrely claimed that a lack of fans played a part in his failure to make the cut at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
The 48-year-old, a club pro in California, enjoyed a PGA Championship fairytale in 2023, when he made a hole-in-one and finished in a tie for 15th.
Two years on, however, Block’s tournament was cut short after he finished round two on 15-over-par – 14 shots off the cut line.
He shot five bogeys and four double bogeys in a disastrous second-round 82 and afterwards Block lamented his failure to draw bigger crowds at Quail Hollow.
‘I wish there was a huge crowd on every hole because that’s when I hit my shots,’ he told Golf.com.
‘I really do. I always do. It’s the weirdest thing. When there’s no one around is when I hit my worst shots.’
Michael Block failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship after finishing round two on +15
The American made five bogeys and four double bogeys in a disastrous second-round 82
The 48-year-old is mobbed by fans looking for signatures ahead of the opening round
Around 200,000 fans are expected at Quail Hollow this week and Block continued: ‘That’s something that I need more in my life is a bigger crowd. I just need to play a little better so it could happen. I could only imagine what would have happened if I would have been playing really good this week.’
Block lit up Oak Hill Country Club in 2023, becoming an overnight cult hero. But there were no more heroics at Quail Hollow. Heading into the weekend, only half a dozen players were below Block in the leaderboard.
Rory McIlroy narrowly made the cut and on Saturday, TV cameras caught his frustrated reaction to the news that play was being delayed because of dangerous weather.
McIlroy and Xander Schauffele were two of the big names due to go out early in the morning but organizers were forced to suspend play because of rain and stormy conditions around Quail Hollow.
Masters champion McIlroy was headed toward the first hole for his 8:25am ET tee time when the horn sounded to signal play was suspended.
The Northern Irishman was not too pleased – he slumped his head, turned around and grinned in disbelief while appearing to say ‘f*** off’.
