Michael Block on first-round 81 at Colonial: ‘wasn’t surprised by it’

FORT WORTH, Texas — California nine pro Michael Block was surviving the imagination astatine the PGA Championship. Thursday astatine Colonial brought him backmost to reality.

A sensation astatine Oak Hill erstwhile helium tied for 15th against the strongest tract successful golf, Block opened with 3 consecutive bogeys and finished with 3 treble bogeys implicit his past 4 holes of an 11-over 81 that near him successful past spot and 19 shots down Harry Hall successful the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Block received a sponsor exemption — helium has 1 for the RBC Canadian Open adjacent week, excessively — after his astonishing week astatine the PGA Championship.

He was connected “CBS This Morning,” received a substance from Michael Jordan and signed with WME Sports.

“I’ve got nothing,” helium said to himself aft a tee changeable connected the 13th hardly cleared the h2o and finished connected the backmost near of a greenish that had a beforehand close pin.

“If you are a golfer, you’ve had the time I’ve had,” Block said aft his worst people by 7 shots successful the 4 PGA Tour-level events helium has played this year. “You recognize the facts of wherever the lies aren’t bully and the trees are successful your mode each time. Even your bully shots are bad, your atrocious shots are worse.

Michael Block reacts successful vexation aft hitting an errant tee changeable connected the 3rd spread during his first-round 81 astatine the Charles Schwab Challenge.Getty Images

“It is what it is. I’m going to unrecorded with it,” helium said. “I thought it was going to hap that 3rd oregon 4th circular past week astatine Oak Hill, and it ne'er happened. It happened now, and I wasn’t amazed by it, to archer you the truth.”

Hall had a imagination start. The PGA Tour rookie from England took lone 22 putts, the past 1 an 8-foot birdie for an 8-under 62 that gave him a three-shot pb implicit Harris English.

Along with his 8 birdies, Hall made par putts of 15 and 30 feet.

Tom Hoge, who played his assemblage play astatine TCU and present makes Fort Worth his home, holed retired for eagle from the seventh fairway connected his mode to a 66.

Scottie Scheffler, who returned to No. 1 successful the satellite with his necktie for 2nd astatine the PGA Championship, and defending champion Sam Burns were successful the ample radical astatine 67. Jordan Spieth didn’t marque his lone birdie until the eighth spread and opened with a 72.

Hall changed up his regular this week by playing 36 holes of signifier astatine Colonial — a Monday pro-am and past 9 holes connected Tuesday and Wednesday. That helps, on with his putter.

“Maybe that’s the key, conscionable to spot a spot much of the people than I person done successful the past,” Hall said. “I didn’t bash excessively overmuch different. I benignant of conscionable made things a small spot much simple.”

He missed 7 greens and played those holes successful 1 under, the biggest a chip-in for birdie from astir 80 feet connected the 12th hole.

Michael Block fist bumps the fans during the archetypal circular of the Charles Schwab Challenge.Getty Images

“I was truly successful the infinitesimal retired determination and determined to play immoderate bully golf,” Hall said. “The 7 retired of 7 scrambles doesn’t truly astonishment maine due to the fact that that’s the champion portion of my game, but the mode I deed the shot the archetypal two-thirds of that circular was beauteous special.”

Block has been connected rather a thrust the past six days. He made the chopped astatine the PGA Championship, played with Justin Rose connected Saturday and Rory McIlroy connected Sunday. The 46-year-old caput pro astatine Arroyo Trabuco successful Mission Viejo, California, turned successful a show arsenic memorable arsenic Brooks Koepka winning his 5th major.

He made a hole-in-one connected the 15th hole, and his closing from heavy unsmooth gave him a necktie for 15th and an automatic spot successful adjacent year’s PGA Championship.

And past helium came crashing backmost to world aft a week truthful engaged helium lone saw Colonial 1 clip earlier Thursday. But helium wasn’t giving up conscionable yet.

“I’m looking guardant to coming retired time and playing a large circular and giving it everything I have,” helium said. “I’ve changeable 58, and I’ve changeable a 59 successful my life, and since what I had today, I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if I did it. So if I do, cool. If not, I’ll beryllium seeing my kids and my woman time nighttime successful Orange County, California. It’s each bully 1 mode oregon the other.”

Hoge, who was raised successful North Dakota, is truthful passionate astir his Horned Frogs that helium flew from Maui to Los Angeles to ticker TCU successful the assemblage shot champions crippled (a blowout nonaccomplishment to Georgia) and past flew backmost to Hawaii for the Sony Open.

Michael Block reacts dejectedly aft an errant tee changeable connected the 5th hole.Getty Images

He got disconnected to a decent commencement until his circular stalled. It came to beingness connected No. 6 erstwhile his attack settled inches distant from the cup. And past connected the seventh, helium deed 8-iron from 157 yards consecutive into the cupful for an eagle.

It’s conscionable the commencement helium needed aft missing the chopped astatine Colonial the past 3 times.

“The past fewer years, I truly struggled connected Thursday past benignant of fought backmost connected Friday to effort to marque the cut,” Hoge said. “It was surely a absorption this twelvemonth to effort to get disconnected to a bully start, effort to beryllium a small much diligent and letting the circular travel to me. Making a fewer birdies disconnected the bat was truly nice.”