LOS ANGELES – Michael Block had a funny feeling that his life was never going to be the same. He was right.

Block’s accomplishments at the PGA Championship over the weekend commanded the attention of the sporting world, including one of the greatest living athletes in any sport.

“Getting a text from Michael Jordan today, that’s – I’m a big Jordan guy my whole life,” Block said on Tuesday.

“I was a little kid in Iowa saving 100 bucks for a pair of Jordans back in the day. Pretty darn cool, to say the least.”

Block, the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, was one of 20 PGA pros to qualify for last week’s Major and tied for 15th at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.

That automatically got him into the 2024 PGA Championship, no qualification necessary.

He made a hole-in-one at his fourth-to-last hole of the tournament and, hours later, received a sponsor’s exemption into this week’s PGA Tour stop.

The “Block Party” will continue at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Block said Jordan wanted to tell him “what he saw is why he loves the game of golf so much”.

The 46-year-old is used to hobnobbing with famous athletes, though. In Southern California, he plays with the likes of Patrick Cantlay, the fourth-ranked player in the world.

Block told reporters he has a friendship with Major League Baseball player Albert Pujols, who visited a course Block plays at in Orange County, while he played for the Los Angeles Angels.

“So played with Albert, and I shot like 64 or something like that, and he’s like, we need to play. So we’ve become good buds,” Block said.

Now he is invited to Pujols’ wedding. Just another day in the life of the man whose golf game and charming attitude won over the crowd at Oak Hill and the everyday golfers watching on TV.

“It’s just weird now where I come up through a gate and the guys at the gate are screaming ‘Block Party’ when I’m going through, and the guy making me an omelette said I did awesome last week,” Block added.

“I mean, that’s the part where it’s a little beyond me at this point. So it’s cool, but I’m trying to enjoy it.”

Block has received sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events before – he will also take part in June’s RBC Canadian Open in Toronto – but this week is his first time visiting Colonial, the longest-standing non-Major venue on tour.

“The course fits my eye. A lot of cuts off the tee. You’ve got to be pretty straight,” he said.

“And the greens are perfect. I’ve got a nice little ryegrass around the green. To be honest, it fits me a lot better than it did last week.” REUTERS