The Michael Block magic hasn’t completely run out since the end of the PGA Championship.
Four days after finishing up a T15 performance at Oak Hill — which included a hole-in-one — the 46-year-old teaching pro competed at the Charles Schwab Challenge on a sponsor exemption. He didn’t spend much time near the top of the leaderboard during the first round on Thursday, but he also didn’t disappoint.
Block started with three straight bogies, then came about a yard from hitting another hole-in-one on the fourth hole at Fort Worth’s Colonial Country Club.
Six holes later, Block was in a tight spot when a 277-yard drive settled on a bridge to the far right of the fairway. Block somehow saved par, starting with an unbelievable escape from the bridge that landed just short of the green.
By the overall numbers, it wasn’t the most impressive performance from Block, who has already received plenty of recognition. He probably won’t spend the final round playing with a major champion like Rory McIlroy. But for a guy who qualified for last week’s tournament through a qualifier for club professionals and made his first major cut 16 years after his first appearance, any more moments in the sun are a welcome sight in a sport that loves an everyman.