Sadly, Michael Block knows this all too well.<\/p>\n
Block, affectionately (hopefully?) known as Blockie, was the darling of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill<\/a>, a club pro from Mission Viejo, California, who not only put on a show with his electric play \u2013 highlighted by a slam-dunk, Sunday ace alongside Rory McIlroy \u2013 but engaged himself to the masses with his affable, everyman personality. Everyone quickly wanted a piece of Blockie \u2013 fans, media types, sponsors. And much to everyone\u2019s delight, Blockie obliged. Next thing we knew, Blockie was guesting on dozens of podcasts, scoring PGA Tour exemptions, brushing elbows with celebrities and even working a promotional shift at fast-food chain, Raising Cane\u2019s.<\/p>\n With each appearance, Blockie-mania seemed to lose its luster, until eventually \u2013 like in Finding Nemo, where an excitable girl name Darla can\u2019t help but shake the water bags containing her pet fish, to the point where they go, um, belly-up \u2013 Blockie, at least as a universally beloved figure, was flushed down the drain. The inflection point, perhaps, was this quote to podcaster Bob Menery: \u201cWhat I would shoot from where Rory hits it would be stupid, I think I\u2019d be one of the best players in the world, hands down. If I had that stupid length, all day, my iron game, wedge game, around the greens and my putting is world class.\u201d<\/p>\n Block was among the players with a pre-championship presser at the 2024 PGA. A year later, he wasn\u2019t requested for a single on-camera interview, which are transcribed and loaded onto ASAP Sports.<\/p>\n Block\u2019s unabashed authenticity and desire to accommodate gained him status as a cult hero \u2013 until, of course, it didn\u2019t. Speaking to golf writer Alan Shipnuck<\/a> ahead of this week\u2019s PGA at Aronimink, Block\u2019s 10th career major start, Block opened up on the good, bad and ugly of fame.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, very aware,\u201d Block told Shipnuck when asked about himself being a controversial figure in the sport. \u201cAnd I get it \u2013 I was sick of Blockie, too. I didn\u2019t want to hear my voice. I didn\u2019t want to see that hole-in-one ever again. I mean, it got so shoved down everybody\u2019s throat. For a couple months after the 2023 PGA, or really almost a year after, there was way too much of me out there, and I understand that people got tired of it. Like, I don\u2019t blame people. If I\u2019m sick of myself, I can only imagine how other people felt.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t help by saying a couple of stupid things. But I was just a club pro who had never been in the limelight before, and suddenly the whole world was coming at me and I tried to handle it the best I could. But haters are gonna hate. It is what it is. I\u2019m just a normal guy. I love my dog and my wife and my kids and the simple things in life. I try to treat people well. That\u2019s all I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Block admits that the backlash \u2013 and in many cases, hate \u2013 took a toll. <\/p>\n In the months after Oak Hill, he\u2019d pour through every comment on social posts from and about him, and \u201cI\u2019d literally be depressed,\u201d he shared. \u201cIt hurt. I was a 47-year-old guy, and suddenly it felt like a lot of people hated me for no real reason and that sucked. But I try not to worry about that stuff anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NEWTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 12: Michael Block of the United States, Corebridge Financial Team of PGA of America, takes a photo with fans during a practice round prior to the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 12, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n After rallying a few weeks ago at Bandon Dunes to qualify via the PGA Professional Championship, Block arrives at Aronimink armed with the goal of being unapologetically himself, a credit, he says, to his wife, Val. He\u2019s prepared to sign every autograph, connect with every high-five and as Tuesday\u2019s practice round suggests, roll an imaginary bowling ball while walking off a tee box \u2013 regardless of what is said about him. He turns 50 next month, meaning he\u2019ll soon turn his focus to senior golf, some majors and a half-dozen or so PGA Tour Champions<\/a> events. But first, he will try to rekindle some of that magic from three years ago.<\/p>\n Block\u2019s only goals for the week: Make the cut, stand alongside the champion on the 18th green Sunday as low club pro, and have fun.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d Block said. \u201cIf I finish 30th versus 60th, it\u2019s not going to change my life one way or the other, which is a really nice thing. I\u2019ve got tons of family and friends coming with me. I\u2019ve got my son Ethan on the bag once again. So, I can\u2019t lose.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be nothing but positives.\u201d<\/p>\n He can do those things because he\u2019s not a hero; he\u2019s just Blockie.<\/p>\n![\"2026](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778671217_698_.jpeg\")
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