The crowds were out in full force to see PGA professional Michael Block during Thursday’s first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge, and the 48-year-old delivered.
Block shot a 2-under-par 68 in difficult conditions and was in the top 20 on the leaderboard as the afternoon starters were in the midst of their first round. His impressive day included five birdies and three bogeys.
Block’s performance comes as a bit of a surprise as he struggled mightily at last week's PGA Championship. According to Block, a major factor in his missed cut where he shot 15 over par in two rounds was the lack of crowds following him.
“I love crowds,” he said. “That’s kind of the funny part is I wish there was a huge crowd on every hole because that’s when I hit my shots. I really do. I always do. It’s the weirdest thing. When there’s no one around is when I hit my worst shots.
“That’s something that I need more in my life is a bigger crowd. I just need to play a little better so it could happen. I could only imagine what would have happened if I would have been playing really good [at the PGA].”
Block may just get his wish. On a day where the scoring average was over par, the PGA professional could have a chance to get into contention for the weekend if the crowds can rally him once again in his second round on Friday.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Michael Block Starts Fast at Charles Schwab Challenge.
