Michael Block says he’s now understood ‘brutal’ part of professional golf he initially couldn’t work out

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2023 PGA Championship cult hero Michael Block has opened up on what’s been challenging since hitting the headlines at Oak Hill.

The 47-year-old club professional was the story of the 2023 championship after making a hole-in-one whilst paired alongside Rory McIlroy in his final round.

Block’s refreshing interviews and infectious character caught the imagination of the golfing world – and he’s now getting set to feature in the second major of the year at Valhalla.

After making a remarkable up and down on his final hole at Oak Hill, Block booked his place in this year’s renewal.

Unsurprisingly, the leading media outlets are looking to start the ‘Block Party’ once again.

Michael Block says how he feels about ‘brutal’ online comments

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Block has now opened up on what the past year has been like and has admitted that there have been some difficult moments.

Speaking to the PGA Tour’s website, Block shared how he was initially hurt by a couple of things he had read online.

“The internet can be a little brutal,” he said. “And at the beginning, I got hurt by a couple things that I’d be looking at – comments and stuff like that. And that hurt because I’d never seen anyone really talk bad about me before. And I’m like, ‘Who are you guys? You never met me.’”

However, over the past year, the 2023 cult hero has understood that negative comments are part of the professional game.

“The positives are 95% compared to 5% of a whole bunch of haters that hate on everything possible,” Block said. “So I’ve understood that now. It took me a little bit of time to figure that out.”

Can Michael Block make the cut at the 2024 PGA Championship?

Realistically for Block, making the cut at Valhalla would be a success.

On what is a big hitters’ course, the American will need to sharpen up his iron play and his short game if he wants to stand a chance of competing.

The likes of Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy and Joaquin Niemann will have a significant advantage thanks to the distance they can carry the ball.

Block must find a way to escape from Valhalla’s lengthy par 4s unscathed; otherwise, he could face two incredibly long days in Louisville.

Of course, the golfing world wants Block to succeed, but there needs to be a realisation of just how far behind the world’s elite his game is on a track that’s not for the faint-hearted.