Michael Block (46-USA), who tied for 15th at the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) Championship as a club professional rather than a tour player, has seen his world ranking rise significantly.
Block is ranked No. 577 in the latest World Golf Rankings, released today (Nov. 23). That’s a jump of 3003 places from 3580th last week.
The PGA Championship allocates 20 of the 156 spots in the field to U.S. club professionals.
Block, the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, USA, qualified for the tournament and tied for 15th place with a final total of 1-over-par 281.
Block, who had never made the cut in his previous four PGA Championship starts, made the cut for the first time and was tied for eighth through three rounds.
That earned him the honor of playing the final round in a group with world No. 3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland).
His hole-in-one on the 15th (par-3) gave him the moment of a lifetime, and he earned $288,333 in prize money for the tournament alone.
Block’s tie for 15th at the PGA Championship also earned him an invitation to the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge, which begins on April 26.안전놀이터
“I’m a small-town golf course lesson pro, and I played Justin Rose in the third round and Rory McIlroy in the fourth round. It’s like a dream,” he says, “and I have this weird feeling that my life will never be the same. It’s really cool,” he said with satisfaction.