Brooks Koepka, a Majors Machine. Michael Block, a Marketer's Dream!
Ever heard the saying, "I can’t get my bearings?" I felt like that when an enthusiastic commentator located Oak Hill Country Club in western New York.
Now, the first difficulty for some is differentiating between New York City and New York State (I wonder how many of you know the capital city of New York?)—leave a comment.
When you have this sorted, to me, it’s hard to see that there is a western part of New York State—I see everything as being due north. Hear this:
"Go north, young man, and before long you’ll find yourself in the quarrelsome wilds of Canada!"
Indeed, it should be confirmed that Oak Hill Country Club is situated in the western region of upstate New York. Interestingly, this week marked the fourth occurrence of this distinguished venue hosting the PGA Championship.
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Being this far north in the month of May has its challenges. In fact, Thursday morning saw a frost delay—fair dinkum, this isn’t a Sunday morning fourball in wintery Manchester! No, my friends, this is the second major of the season, the PGA.
This championship is known for doing things a little differently. It’s not dissimilar to a spirited black sheep in a bursting family. Its non-conciliatory behaviour sets it apart from the distinguished lineup of its major championship brethren. I mean, it had its bloody birth certificate tampered with; no longer is it appreciated in August, and it was placed at number four in the batting order. No, it was moved forwards to May, sandwiched between its more illustrious cousins, the Masters and the U.S. Open. No wonder it swims in confusion.
Eventually, a New York State specialist prevailed. Brooks Koepka has now won three of his five majors in New York, the previous two being on Long Island at Shinnecock Hills and Bethpage Black.
It’s true, and it makes little difference: Koepka is the first LIV-affiliated golfer to win a major.
Granted, I keep dancing around this whole PGA Tour and LIV spat. I have to say, though, in Koepka’s defence and that of his LIV comrades:
The PGA Tour is no shrinking violet in all this palaver! Their hat is well and truly hung on being a not-for-profit organisation and one that raises millions of charity dollars. The actual percentage of those charity dollars is a whopping 16% of the revenue gathered, compared to an industry average of 60%. Sound a little sinister, or even a little hypocritical? You betcha it does.
Anyway, leaving that aside for now, you don’t have to be a golf nut to appreciate the ‘stand-up’ that Koepka showed today. He led from the bell to the buzzer, hitting darts at tough pins all day; it was a truly masterful performance.
Koepka now sits 15th on the all-time Majors list with five wins. He is tied with Seve Ballesteros, and Phil Mickelson and Nick Faldo have one more win each. Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer are next on the list with seven wins each. Of the golfers ahead of Koepka, only Tiger Woods is still playing, and he’s barely going. However, Koepka is just 33 years old and as fit as an Arkansas bull, with lots of Major golf ahead of him. Who knows where he will get too?
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It was impossible to overlook the profound impact Michael Block had on the tournament.
Block was one of 20 teaching pros in the PGA field and emerged as a promoter's dream. Historically, club professionals would often linger near the leaderboard for a brief moment before succumbing to the pressure of a major championship. However, Block defied convention. Instead of retreating, he embraced the challenging conditions presented by Oak Hill and showcased his competitive prowess when even esteemed touring professionals faltered. His four-round effort was outstanding.
The slam-dunk ace at the 15th on the final day is likely to be remembered with the same vivacity as Koepka’s victory. With a swing that seemed to have been honed in the depths of a New England basement, Block’s seven-iron was fixated only on the bottom of the cup. Apologetically, he circled the elusive "1" on his scorecard, hardly believing what had just transpired.
And some back story: Michael Block is a 46-year-old PGA teaching pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, a public course in Mission Viejo, California. Don’t be fooled; he’s good. good enough to win the Southern California PGA Player of the Year in nine of the last 10 years—and he’s shot 59 (that’s for 18 holes, not nine!)
It seemed Block might have had a Sunday morning money game arranged back at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club. His return flight was set for 10 a.m. Saturday, so convinced was he of missing the cut! He didn’t just make the cut; he was kinda in contention going into moving day! The money game would have to wait; Block continued to play extraordinary golf Saturday, which eventually led to a Sunday pairing with Rory McIlroy—this really was a fairytale.
Starting the final day six shots behind Koepka, good folk kept telling him how much money he had a chance to make—the winner made $3.1 million, and anyone in the top 15 would make around $300,000! Block shook his head and said he didn’t want to hear about the money. At one point, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt told him how much he enjoyed the interview they’d had, and Block wheeled around to his caddie, John Jackson, and said, "This is ridiculous. I don’t even know what I’m doing."
Standing on 18 tee—after making a "1" two holes back, Block needed a par to finish in the top 15, earning an automatic invite to next year's PGA—he probably had no idea at the time. A pulled approach, followed by a remarkable pitch, left him a curling 10-footer, which he duly drained. What a week! What a game golf can be!
Has there been a golf restoration? Maybe, for now, thanks in main to a remarkable week of golf in western New York. Brooks Koepka is slowly emerging from the murky shadows of a separated golf world, and Michael Block made many golfers realise there is a lot more to golf than a number on the scorecard.
Has there been a restoration in the world of golf? Perhaps, as evidenced, at least in part, by an extraordinary week of golf in western New York. With each step forwards, Brooks Koepka is slowly emerging from the murky shadows of a separated golf world. Meanwhile, Michael Block's awe-inspiring performance served as a poignant reminder that golf encompasses far more than mere digits recorded on a scorecard. For now, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
As always, thank you for being here.
Thanks Nick and I think the new way of writing a paragraph twice more or less may catch on….