Michael Block at last year's PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, came to the realization that he belonged among the competitors.
Block shot a 3-over 73 in the second round in front of a large crowd at Southern Hills Country Club while playing a few holes behind a famous group that featured Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Thomas.
It was ten deep on each hole I played, according to Block. "With everyone present, I shot 73. Even my general manager remarked, "That was you ceasing to be a club pro." So, it was a major occasion for me. Since then, I've kind of subsisted on that.
Block, 46, is still a club professional at the daily-fee Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California.
But Block has shown he's also a hell of a player throughout the opening two rounds of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
Block is staying put to play the last two rounds this weekend while some of the finest players in the world, including as Tom Kim, Cameron Young, Sungjae Im, and Sam Burns, are leaving because they didn't make the cut.
Block is just the second club professional to be in the top 20 in the PGA Championship after 36 holes in the last 20 years, according to ESPN Stats & Information data.