pga professional Michael Block I’ve had a very productive week PGA Championship, A tie for 15th earned him $288,333—far more than his usual lesson load, at $150 an hour—for a week at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California.
He had the opportunity to add even more to his bankroll and declined — but at a cost.
Block said during an interview session at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, site of this week’s PGA Tour Charles Schwab Challenge, that he was offered $30,000 for the 7-iron he used to hole his no. Had to make -in-one. 15 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY
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“I’ve actually had a few different offers… It’s crazy, isn’t it?” They said. “[My]initial reaction was it’s $50,000 and I’ll deliver it. Kind of kidding, but I guess not really anymore.”
Block said he still plans to use the club.
“It’s in the air,” he said. “For now it just needs to be shot close to me, and I’ll go from there.”
Besides the thrill of posting one of the best finishes by a club pro in PGA history, Block said the next biggest thrill he got was a lesson. Michael Jordan.
“I’ve been a big Jordan boy my whole life,” he said. “I was a little kid in Iowa that day saving 100 bucks for a pair of Jordans. Pretty cool to say the least.”
Block earned a sponsor invitation for Colonial. This will be his 26th start in a Tour event qualifying through a combination of Invitationals and PGA Section events.
He has made the cut in four tournaments, the 2013 Genesis Invitational, the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open and Sanderson Farms Championships, and the 2015 Barbasol Championships.
Chitwood will run the ’26 Presidents Cup
joey chitwood Adding another golf stop to the sports management resume that started with racing.
The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that Chitwood, who was president and COO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was instrumental in building Chicagoland Speedway, was named executive director for 2026. President’s Cup That will take place at Medina Country Club outside of Chicago.
Chitwood was previously Vice President of Corporate Development. Arnold Palmer Enterprise. Among his duties in Orlando was tournament director. Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Cup, a college team competition featuring top American and international players.
“I am thrilled to be named Executive Director of the 2026 Presidents Cup and look forward to returning to Chicago to guide the top global event in sports,” Chitwood said in a statement. “There is tremendous passion for golf in this city, as evidenced by the number of championships hosted over the years, and Medina Country Club has played an incredible part in that history. We look forward to working with the vibrant Chicagoland business community to deliver an unforgettable week at the Presidents Cup And its going to include great sports fans.
Chitwood began his career in the Indy Racing League in Indianapolis. He was later part of the executive leadership of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NASCAR, vice president of a joint venture to build and operate the Chicagoland Speedway, a $135 million, 75,000-seat, racetrack facility on 900 acres in nearby Joliet, Ill. As general manager, Chitwood oversaw marketing, PR, sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, operations and legislative affairs for both Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway, providing a sold-out inaugural season.
Chitwood later returned to run the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he oversaw all business operations for the world’s largest sports venue and increased performance and revenue through restructuring and partnership development.
From 2009–19 he worked at International Speedway Corporation in Daytona Beach, where he eventually became Executive Vice President and COO. He was tasked with improving the performance of 13 motor racing facilities nationwide – including Daytona International Speedway.
“Joe has an outstanding track record of driving sales and partnerships in some of the biggest areas of sports, and we are excited to welcome him to the Presidents Cup team,” said matt rap, The Tour’s senior vice president of championship management. “His leadership skills and knowledge of the Chicago business community will be an asset for us leading into 2026, and I know he looks forward to hosting what we anticipate will be our biggest event ever.”
US Open adds qualifiers
The United States Golf Association announced that 33 players, including major champions jason day And Patrick Reed, He has earned a full exemption into the 2023 US Open Championship June 15-18 at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course for breaking into the top-60 in the world golf rankings after last week’s PGA Championship.
Day, who will be competing in his 11th US Open and is a two-time runner-up, won the 2015 PGA Championship. Reid, the 2018 Masters champion, will be playing his 10th Open.
Tyrell Hatton, Ranked 18th in the world, is currently the highest ranked player in OWGR who was not exempted from the first US Open.
Cameron Davis Tied for fourth at last week’s PGA Championship, he has moved up 19 places from his previous world ranking to No. 49 and will be competing in his first US Open.
Other players to earn full exemption are Abraham Ensor, Wyndham Clarke, Harris English And Keith Mitchell St. Simons Island, Ga., Tommy Fleetwood, Ryan Fox, Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley, Lucas Herbert, Si Woo Kim, Chris Kirk, Kurt Kitayama, matt kutcher, Adrian Maronek, Taylor Moore, Alex Noreen, Mito Pereira, Victor Perez, Thomas Peter, Seamus Power And Adam Swenson.
Kuchar will be competing in the US Open for the 20th time.
Eight other players earned exemptions based on their performance in three additional categories. The top five players in the current PGA Tour FedExCup standings, who were not otherwise exempt, are Hayden Buckley, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Montgomery, Andrew Putnam And Nick Taylor. The top two players on the 2022 DP World Tour Final Points List, who were not otherwise exempt, are Thurston Lawrence And Jordan Smith. min woo lee The highest ranked player in the current Race to Dubai rankings who is not otherwise exempt.
pga tour
Event: Charles Schwab Challenge, Thursday-Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.
At stake: $8.7 million purse ($1,566,000 to the winner and 500 FedEx Cup points).
Defending Champion: Sam Burns.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 4-7pm; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3pm); CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.). Field players entered: Tyson Alexander, Harris English, Brian Herman, Billy Horschel, Zach Johnson, Peyton Kizier, Russell Knox, David Lingmarth, JT Poston, Sam Ryder, Greyston Sieg.
Notable: Burns shot a 65 in the final round to tie Scotty Scheffler, then chipped a 38-foot birdie on the first playoff hole to win. … Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood join Scheffler in leading the field. … Scheffler captured No. 1 in the world golf rankings last week by finishing tied for second at the PGA. … The only other top-10 player in the world in the field is Max Homma.
liv golf league
Event: LIV Golf-DC, Friday-Sunday, Trump National, Sterling, Va.
At stake: $20 million purse ($4 million to the winner).
Defending champion: First time event.
TV: The CW (Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m.).
Field players entered: Cameron Smith.
Notable: LIV member Brooks Koepka is coming off his PGA win, his fifth major title. He also finished second in the Masters. … After 18 LIV players have qualified for the Masters and 17 for the PGA, 12 will be at next month’s US Open. … This is the last LIV event for a month before we play in Spain and England in July.
LPGA Tour
Event: Bank of Hope Match Play, Wednesday-Sunday, Shadow Creek Golf Club, Las Vegas.
At stake: $1.5 million purse ($225,000 to the winner).
Defending Champion: Yoon-Hee Ji.
TV: Golf Channel (Wednesday, 1:30-4:30 p.m.; Thursday-Friday, 7-10 p.m.; Friday, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 6:30-9:30 p.m.).
Field players entered: none.
Notable: Ji defeated Ayaka Furu of Japan 3 and 2 in the championship match. … The first three days will be pool competition, leading up to the last 16 for single-elimination over the weekend. … Only two of the top-10 in the world are in the field, Lilia Wu and Brooke Henderson.
PGA Tour Champions
Event: Senior PGA Championship, Thursday-Sunday, PGA Frisco, Fields Ranch in Frisco, Texas.
At stake: $3.5 million purse ($630,000 to the winner).
Defending Champion: Steven Elker.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 1-4 PM; Saturday, 3-4 PM); NBC (Saturday, 1:30–4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 4–6 p.m.).
Field players entered: Paul Claxton, Jim Furyk, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh.
Notable: Alker shot 64 in the first round and 63 in the fourth at Harbor Shores, Michigan, to finish 16-under and beat Stephen Ames by three shots.
Korn Ferry Tour
Event: Visit Knoxville Open, Thursday-Sunday, Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville, Tenn.
At stake: $1 million purse ($180,000 to the winner).
Defending Champion: Anders Albertsson.
TV: No.
Field players enter: AJ Crouch, Taylor Dixon, Jared Wolfe.
Notable: Albertson opened with a 62 and then finished the weekend with a score of 65-66 to beat Carl Yuan of Jacksonville by one shot.
This article was originally published in the Florida Times-Union: Michael Block’s lucky 7-iron is in high demand — but he’s keeping it
