Michael Block is heading to Aronomink Golf Club for his fifth straight PGA Championship. After shooting a final-round 3-under 69 to climb into the top 20 at the PGA Professional Championship, he had a message for everyone watching.

“I mean, this was insane, like ridiculous,” he said in the interview. “I can’t thank everyone out there enough for the support, and for all you haters or whatever, be haters.”

Michael Block entered the final round at Bandon Dunes three shots outside the top 20 after a wind-battered 6-over 78 in round three. Winds of 30 mph tore through the Oregon coast during the event. Most players did not recover, but Block did. Though his mark is his overall 8th PGA Championship, the most memorable one remains the 2023 edition.

At Oak Hill, he finished tied for 15th place. That year, he made a hole-in-one on the 15th hole on the final day, alongside Rory McIlroy, and earned a prize purse of $288,000, which was more than triple his previous best check. McIlroy praised his performance that day as truly impressive. Brooks Koepka, who won that week, remarked, “He’s a great dude. He’s been fun.” His close friend and caddy, Al Geiberger, often describes him as an “awesome, fun, genuine guy.”

The attention that followed Oak Hill brought both recognition and scrutiny. Michael Block acknowledged that reality in 2024, saying the positives made up 95%, compared to a small group of critics who “hate on everything possible.” It is something he has learned to live with.

Outside the championship spotlight, Block is respected among fans for reasons beyond his performance on the court. He remains the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club. That part of his life has stayed constant. Even during his breakout week at Oak Hill in 2023, he was still present in those familiar settings, walking into a local pub the night before his final round and taking photos with anyone who asked.

That consistency has come to define him as much as his results. The same character has been on display again at Bandon Dunes this week. Block wore a blue ribbon on his hat throughout the tournament in support of his friend Alan Scheer, a fellow Southern California section professional and past section champion who is currently battling cancer. He even said he would have given up his own qualification spot to Scheer if the opportunity had come up.

Block has learned how to cope with all the hate, and this video is once again a resurfacing of that or an extension of it; however, it has still sparked a lot of debate online.

Michael Block Is Back at Aronimink, and the Internet Is Divided

“Genuinely don’t know how people hate this guy. He’s an average Joe pro that earned his way into the PGA,” one fan wrote.

Block has now qualified for eight PGA Championships in his career, dominated his Southern California section for over a decade, and won the PGA Professional Player of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023.

Another fan doubled down on the affection: “He’s a fun guy. Another head pro who works his butt off for his club members.”

Besides spending two decades at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, he has also launched an initiative giving selected PGA professionals passes to the PGA Championship, explicitly targeting teaching pros who continue to play regularly themselves. He has also argued that professionals get so buried in operations and instruction that they forget to experience the game they love.

Another added, “I’ve come to respect his commitment to the bit.”

In September 2025, Block won the Southern California PGA Professional Championship for the fifth time, becoming one of only three players in the history of the event to reach that milestone, joining names from the 1930s and 1950s. Whether you call it a bet or not, Block has shown that he can keep winning qualifiers, and his commitment remains very real.

The other side of the internet is not as thrilled with his comments, with some saying, “Christ, here we go again with this guy.”

For those who are not the biggest fans, the frustration may stem from the Quail Hollow Championship in 2025. Block shot 75 and 82 to miss the cut by 14 shots, finishing 150th. Afterward, he attributed part of his struggle to soft fairways and his 270-yard carry distance, while also noting that the course simply was not suited to his game.

“Show me one single Block fan that isn’t immediate family, and I’ll stop being a hater,” one added.

At that same championship, he also faced backlash for comments about the crowds and his performance. He said, “That’s kind of the funny part. I wish there were a huge crowd on every hole because that’s when I hit my shots. When there was no one around is when I hit my worst shots.” That comment drew criticism, with one PGA Tour pro calling it a “wild take.” Perhaps that is why some of the frustration remains.

But despite all the conversation, Block tees it up at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, from May 11 to 17, at a course stretching 7,600 yards with virtually no rollout. “My wife doesn’t even want me to qualify,” he said this week. “We all know it’s 7,600 yards, and there’s no rollout, and I’ll get my ass handed to me.” He said it, laughing. He qualified anyway. At 50, Block keeps showing up, and that alone might be the most Block thing about him.