ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Cinderella story of this year’s PGA Championship is coming north of the border.
Michael Block, the PGA of America club professional who shocked the world and finished tied for 15th at Oak Hill Country Club, received a sponsor invite to this year’s RBC Canadian Open.
Block, 46, finished at 1 over for the week and earned just over $288,000 for his four-day effort. He made a legion of fans through the week – a week highlighted with a hole-in-one Sunday playing alongside Rory McIlroy.
Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford attempted to call Block to tell him the good news, but he was live on Golf Channel at the time. A Golf Channel researcher told Sportsnet.ca that Block “was pumped” to hear the news.
The RBC Canadian Open official social media accounts posted the invite at 9:15 p.m. ET
“We heard the hole-in-one roar from across Lake Ontario,” the post said.
After his magical week concluded at Oak Hill, Block was offered a sponsor invite into next week’s PGA Tour event in Fort Worth, Texas, the Charles Schwab Challenge. His tie for 15th also earned him a place in next year’s PGA Championship.
“I'm in next week as the last sponsor's exemption, which is really even more mind-boggling now,” Block said. “This week's been absolutely a dream. I didn't know it was going to happen, but I knew if I just played my darned game, right, that I could do this. I always knew it.”
Block is a celebrated pro in his native California, having won the Southern California PGA Player of the Year for the 10th time in 2022. He’s played over 20 PGA Tour events in his career, and this week was his fifth PGA Championship.
The RBC Canadian Open is set from June 6-11. McIlroy, who finished tied for 7th at the PGA Championship after shooting a 1-under 69 Sunday, is looking to win the tournament for the third year in a row.
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