And when Block says something like: “If I had Rory McIlroy’s length …, “ the online vitriol is understandable. Even if there could be some truth to what he said, it came off a bit cocky after one great finish in a major. But Blockie’s a big boy, he can handle it. 

But when he says something completely fair in a calm manner on a podcast and everyone still finds a way to pounce, that’s when it veers into hating for the sake of hating territory. Case in point, this perfectly lukewarm and sensible take from the California club pro on the “First Cut” podcast, where he explained why he’s simply not cut out to play on the PGA Tour. 

“I rolled the rock better than I have did in my life,” said Block, referring to his fairy-tale 15th-place finish at the PGA Championship back in May. “I hit short game shots I never hit in my life, I hit my irons great, I hit driver down the fairway, and I struggled to finish 15th. 

“That’s how good these guys on the tour are,” he continued. “That’s 14 guys still beat me, and I brought my A+ game all around. So, that’s why I’m not on the PGA Tour. I don’t want to be that guy, I don’t want to have my A+ game and still finish 15th. If I have my A+ game against club professionals, I’m going to win.” 

 

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No lies detected, right? WRONG! 

“Lol, not on tour because he doesn’t want to finish 15th. Okay, dude,” one commenter wrote. “You’re not on tour because you are not good enough. Simple as that,” wrote another commenter, unknowingly making Block’s point for him. “What’s wrong with finishing 15th every tournament? That’s probably 100K plus every tournament,” wrote another. 

Yeah, that’s not the point. If Block could guarantee a 15th-place every week he’d 100 per cent play on tour. But he needs his A+ game JUST to finish 15th. His B-, C+ and D games are probably missing the cut. Whereas a C+ week from Jon Rahm might still be good enough to top 10. Virtually impossible to compete with that on a week in, week out basis, which is what Block was saying. Leave it to the internet to completely misconstrue that one.

The post Michael Block sensibly explains why he’s not cut out for the PGA Tour, internet pounces appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This go-around, Block took home the 2023 Southern California PGA Match Play Championship on Tuesday, and with that victory, the 46-year-old earned a spot in the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship set for November in Cabo San Lucas. It took 19 holes, but No. 2 seed Block took down No. 16 Vinnie Poncino in the championship match at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles. It came after Block also needed extra holes to defeat Kenny Pigman in the morning semi-final.

??? THE #BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES — Michael Block has won the @scpga Match Play Championship, his second major championship of the season. With the win Block earns a spot in the PGA Tours World Wide Technology Championship this November. pic.twitter.com/JgAsCEwlhf

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 27, 2023

Block, a teaching professional at Arroyo Trabuco Country Club who became nationally known for a sterling performance at the PGA Championship in May, took a few seconds to speak on the victory and what comes next: “I’m very lucky to come out with the trophy and a spot in Cabo for the World Wide Technology event on the PGA Tour. Super excited about that to get to Cabo. I love Cabo, so that should go hand-in-hand.”

Yes, in case you’re having deja vu, it was only a week ago when Block won another prominent local evnet, the SCPGA Professional Championship, shooting a final-round 66 at Sherwood Country Club. That victory came with a sponsor’s exemption into the PGA Tour’s American Express event in January 2024. Block also took home the Southern California PGA Player of the Year award. He even won at DJ Khaled’s We the Best Foundation Golf Classic, because of course, he did. Save some wins for the rest of us, man.

 

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A post shared by DJ KHALED (@djkhaled)

Block played in five PGA Tour events in 2023, missing the cut in four but shining bright when it really mattered. The 47-year-old finished T-15 at Oak Hill Country Club during the PGA, becoming an overnight star in golf circles.

It looks like Block will have plenty of chances to get a PGA Tour victory next season. Who knows? Everything’s coming up Block. Why not?

Main image: @Nuclrgolf Instagram

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Get ready to see even more of Michael Block on the PGA Tour in 2024.

The Block party rolled on this week with America’s favourite club pro capturing the 2023 Southern California Professional Championship at Sherwood Country Club. And he did it in dramatic fashion. Of course.

Block fired a final-round 66 at Sherwood Country Club to win the three-day event. The 47-year-old broke a tie by birdieing the final two holes to win the tournament for the second consecutive year and a fourth time in seven tries.

Even more impressive is that Block, who plays out of Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, wrapped up the SCPGA Player of the Year for a ridiculous 10th time in 11 years. And even more coveted than the $17,000 winner’s cheque and custom Club Car he earned is the spot in the PGA Tour’s American Express Championship in January.

??? THE #BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES — Michael Block won the @scpga Professional Championship at Sherwood Country Club earlier today. Block took home Southern California PGA Player of the Year honors, earned an exemption into the PGA Tour’s @theamexgolf & a custom Club Car for a… pic.twitter.com/EZL73P4OW0

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 21, 2023

Block shot an opening 65 in the Palm Springs event last year, but wound up missing the three-day cut. Four months later, he became a PGA Championship legend with a T-15 at Oak Hill that included a slam-dunk hole-in-one on Sunday and a clutch up-and-down on the 72nd hole to earn a spot in next year’s PGA as well.

But Block’s amazing campaign has been highlighted by just as many unofficial rounds. He had another viral hole-out — and win — at DJ Khaled’s inaugural charity golf event, matched the course record at Valhalla (the site of next year’s PGA Championship), and recently, recorded a ninth(!) career albatross.

It’s been quite a year for Michael Block. And after earning yet another PGA Tour exemption, the Block party doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon.

The post Michael Block can’t stop dominating 2023, earns spot in another PGA Tour event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Michael Block haters, of which there are many, are not going to like this one.

Block, who earned his 15 minutes of fame with a T-15 finish at the PGA Championship back in May, has extended that 15 minutes to nearly five months. He’s done so in a variety of manners, cashing in on endorsements, tying the course record at Valhalla, and, as recently as this past week, becoming the subject of a Rory McIlroy story on GOLF’s Subpar podcast. Even when he’s not trying to make news, Blockie is making news. Needle-moving like you read about.

Of course, we knew the internet was over him a long time ago, but Block refuses to go quietly into the abyss, which should be commended. In a world where people become famous for far worse, there’s nothing wrong with being famous for being actually good at something. How good is Block? According to him, he made his ninth albatross on Saturday. Ninth!

??? THE #BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES — Michael Block took to Instagram today to share he made an Albatross on the Par-5 9th hole at his home course @ArroyoTrabuco. ?

(?: blockiegolf/IG) pic.twitter.com/7smYVG1ts4

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 16, 2023

Sadly, there’s no video, which will obviously lead to cries of “FAKE!” But even if there was video, people would probably claim that was fake, too. You can’t really win on Golf Twitter.

Speaking of, let’s check in on Golf Twitter. Surely, they are handling the news of Block’s ninth albatross well:

pic.twitter.com/PDtlamWSeJ

— Pro Golf Critic (@ProGolfCritic) September 16, 2023

Yeah whatever. Nice double on 3 blockie #enough

— ultra mindset (@ultralordburner) September 16, 2023

Makes up for his double bogey on the third hole. If only he were longer off the tee, then he'd be world class.

— GamblingSiteFinder.com (@gmblngsitefindr) September 16, 2023

If you’re going to hate, at least be funny like that guy. Well played, sir. By the way, Block seems to be having a casual round with Albert Pujols, one the of the greatest hitters in baseball history. What a world. What a life. The Block Party rolls on.

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With all due respect to all the great players on the PGA Tour, the up-and-down of the year in men’s golf was made by a club pro. Of course, we’re talking about Michael Block’s incredible par save on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship, which kept him in the top 15 and earned him a spot in next year’s PGA at Valhalla. Remember this?

He's not done yet. ? Michael Block with the save on 18. #PGAChamp | @scpga pic.twitter.com/MOMnFV0WUD

— PGA of America (@PGA) May 21, 2023

Of course you do. But somehow it gets even better thanks to Block’s playing partner that day, Rory McIlroy.

The four-time major champ was a guest on Golf’s Subpar podcast this week and he told a fantastic tale about that amazing moment. As the legend of Blockie continues to grow. Here’s Rory:
“His caddie is still trying to get through the crowd or whatever, so Michael comes up on the green, marks his ball and gives it to Harry, my caddie, to clean for him,” McIlroy says. “And Harry asks Blockie: ‘Is your short game usually this good?’ And he goes: ‘No, it’s usually better.’ I was like: Oh, my god. But it’s great. How much confidence is that?”

That’s a LOT of confidence. Of course, we’ve come to learn that Michael isn’t lacking in the C-word since then. He took some heat for saying on another podcast that he’d be “one of the best players in the world” if he had McIlroy’s length. But Rory has no problems with what the surprise star of that major has said or done since.

“Look, has he made some statements afterwards that I probably disagree with? Absolutely,” McIlroy said. “But again, whenever you’re getting asked a million questions from a million people it’s so hard to not say something, jeez, I’ve certainly regretted things I’ve said or answers I’ve given to certain questions and Blockie is probably feeling the same way at some point. But it still doesn’t take anything away from what a cool story in golf that that’s been this year.”

Amen, Rory. Amen. From fast-food appearances to another hole-out at DJ Khaled’s celebrity golf event to even a course record at Valhalla promoting next year’s PGA, it’s been a wild ride. But it all started at Oak Hill.

“What a week for him,” McIlroy added. “And he certainly made the most of it after, but good for him. People are going to be excited to see him at Valhalla next year … People really bought into that story and it was really cool.”

We couldn’t agree more. Long live Blockie.

The post This amazing Rory McIlroy story about Michael Block makes that clutch PGA par save even more legendary appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Michael Block’s stunning performance at the 2023 PGA Championship has led to sponsor dollars and teaming up with celebrities such as DJ Khaled. But if you thought his magical run was over, think again.

The California club pro made a scouting trip to next year’s PGA venue — and he left with a share of a long-held course record.

Block teed it up at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday and went low yet again. Real low. With an eagle and seven birdies, the 47-year-old fired a nine-under-par 63 to match the mark of two-time Masters champ Jose Maria Olazabal from the 2000 PGA Championship. Have a look at this sweet scorecard:

“Blockie”! Love it.

Block became a sensation in May at Oak Hill when he played his way into contention, made a spectacular hole-in-one on Sunday, and finished in the top 15 to qualify for next year’s event. He’s made a number of public appearances since, including helping DJ Khaled win his inaugural charity golf tournament.

And while Block acknowledged shooting 63 in a practice round and under easier scoring conditions is a lot different than doing it during a major, he did make his last few birdies with the cameras rolling. Here are a few highlights and a post-round interview from the surprise golf star of 2023:

“There’s cameras out there, but the camera doesn’t even faze me anymore,” Block said after. “Which if you talked to me a year ago, I’d be freaking out.”

Yep, the camera loves this guy now. And golf fans will be seeing even more of him when he returns to Valhalla in May.

The post The Year of Michael Block continues with this Valhalla course record on PGA Championship scouting trip appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. In Michael Block’s case, “long enough” lasted five days.

Fans have suddenly had their fill of a story they couldn’t get enough of at the PGA Championship, the 46-year-old club pro’s feel-good tale taking a different tenor at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. On the surface, this is due to overexposure, a persona that is a little too performative, and comments that can generously be described as self-assured. And to varying degrees, this is all true. But the internet’s Block backlash — and the backlash to the backlash, and the discourse that has followed — was inevitable and predictable, just not for the reason you think.

For those that have missed it, the Block Party that raged all weekend at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, where Block tied for 15th and produced a slam-dunk hole-in-one, is starting to wear out its welcome on the mean streets of Golf Twitter. There were undertones in the responses to media entity after media entity (guilty as charged) promoting Block’s Cinderella narrative at every turn, directed not necessarily at the man himself but the ecosystem as a whole. We milked his magic until it ran dry rather than appreciating the weekend for what it was and moving on.

Block’s willingness to partake in the hagiography of his life hasn’t helped, participating in two walk-and-talks during the PGA broadcast and conducting more than 30 interviews between Sunday at Oak Hill and meeting with the media on Tuesday at Colonial. Certainly those interactions have spurred Block’s popularity, amplifying his everyman demeanour and self-deprecating humour to millions. Conversely, there is a bit of — how should we say this? — thirstiness to the fame that has the danger of rubbing some the wrong way, because the moment you tell everyone why you matter is the moment you prove the opposite.

Provoking that agitation were Block’s comments from a recent podcast. In answering what the biggest difference between his game and Rory McIlroy’s, Block responded: “Oh my God. What I would shoot from where Rory hits it would be stupid. I think I’d be one of the best players in the world. Hands down. If I had that stupid length, all day. My iron game, wedge game, around the greens and my putting is world class.” Never mind that’s the exact type of conviction needed to contend at a PGA Championship as a 46-year-old club pro. Block’s words were seen as cavalier and brash, sentiments that while celebrated in other sports are considered cardinal sins in golf.

And, sure, his “aw shucks” showmanship can wear quickly. It’s one thing to mug and shrug at the camera like Jim Halpert from “The Office” after a ridiculous save during a major championship weekend, recognising this is the week of your life so why not enjoy it … quite another to ham it up on every hole after every shot in the first round of a tour event.

However, there are two incontrovertible reasons for the Block backlash. The first is that golf does not have a sustained appetite for underdogs. While other games run off upsets, this one often lives in fear of them. It pulls for its Goliaths, and whatever stage given to the little guys is meant in small doses. And to an extent, that is true with Block. The story is warm, the story is endearing … now move aside so we can watch the big men battle it out. But the only way the Block Party wouldn’t end was for it to continue what started it in the first place. Specifically, his play.

Golf loves to romanticise its meritocracy, and in Block the sport had the perfect avatar to encapsulate this ideal. His demeanour, his backstory, his willingness to help sell the story was part of the packaging, but the product at the heart of the pitch was a club pro taking down the world’s best. At Colonial on Thursday, the product went sour. He bogeyed his first hole, a par 5 that statistically was one of the easiest holes on the course. He followed up by blading his approach some 40 yards over the next green. The man with the world-class short game ended up losing six strokes around the dance floors. The final damage was an 81, dead last among the field of 120 by four shots.

There is no shame in that score. He is a club pro, after all, and his competitors are the best in the world. If anything, it underlined how special and rare last weekend was. But, again, golf loves its meritocracy, and it doesn’t particularly enjoy the optics of partisanship or preference. Without the performance to back his story up, Block goes from a special story to special treatment. The line is thin and the standards are harsh, but that is the reality.

Block rebounded on Friday by shooting four-over 74, but missed the cut by miles. No matter. After a week off he will return with a sponsor’s exemption at the RBC Canadian Open. And maybe he’s able to rekindle the fire of Oak Hill once more. Most likely he will not, which is fine. Block parties are not supposed to last forever. That’s what makes them memorable.

The post The Michael Block backlash was inevitable, but not for the reason you think appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Last week, California club pro Michael Block had a flight booked for 10am on Saturday from western New York back to Orange County, where he lives. “So that gives you [an indication of] how much confidence I had in making the cut at the PGA Championship,” Block said.

The 46-year-old did make the cut, however, and he went on to create the feel-good story not just in golf, but also sports more broadly, last weekend. Block tied 15th while making a hole-in-one playing with Rory McIlroy in the final round at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. He made $288,000 in prize money.

“Life changed a little bit since then, and I’ve enjoyed every single moment,” he said on Friday.

A week later, in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth’s famed Colonial Country Club, Block will get on a Saturday morning flight after signing for a four-over 74 in Round 2 to miss the cut. After an 81 on Thursday, he was in last place of the 120 players in the field and remained there.

Block did manage some highlights, including a near-ace and a daring approach shot off a bridge to save par. But the exhaustion from the PGA Championship finally caught up to him, and his reliable fade with the driver deserted him.

“I have no legs. The tee shots killed me, honestly, this week,” he said. “I think I felt the wrath of the golf gods this week, which I get. I don’t blame them for it because they gave me a lot of positive things last week.”

Talking about “golf gods” is just one of the many sides of Block that make him relatable to the average golf fan. Tour pros don’t often talk about golf gods. Then there’s honest interviews with media, the I-can’t-believe-I-just-hit-a-good-shot expressions and the general delight in playing a PGA Tour event.

“I’m not trying to do anything, period,” Block said when asked what it was like to embody the spirit of the everyman. “I’m just playing golf. That’s what I know to do.

“If somebody says: ‘Hey, Michael,’ I have a problem not looking them [in the eye] and shaking their hand. I’ve got issues with it. If you want an autograph, I’ll sign your autograph, and if you want a picture, I’ll probably give you a picture too. My dad raised me right.”

Block choked up when asked how he will let out all the emotions from the past two weeks.

“I’m not going to let it all out until I get to my house and I’m sitting in the backyard — no, I can’t talk about this stuff right now,” Block said, pausing briefly. “My black lab Messy, he’s waiting for me. I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks, and I can’t wait to get home and throw the ball with him.”

After his time with the pooch, and likely some celebrations with members at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, where he teaches, Block will be back out on the PGA Tour next month for the RBC Canadian Open. There, he’ll compete on a sponsor’s invitation at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto, on the other side of Lake Ontario from Rochester, where his star was born.

“I cannot wait to get to Toronto,” Block said.

The post Exhausted and heading home, Michael Block says the ‘golf gods’ finally caught up to him appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Both Block and the Charles Schwab Challenge are likely to cash in from the decision to extend a sponsor’s exemption to Block. Andrew Redington

Michael Block can’t put a price on the experience he had last week at the PGA Championship, but that doesn’t mean others aren’t going to try. The club-pro hero who finished tied for 15th (and won almost $300,000) at Oak Hill was immediately awarded a sponsor’s exemption into this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, where the 47-year-old has been the toast of the driving range and social media. The sports agency WME also said it signed Block to its list of clients.

According to one veteran sports attorney who specialises in athlete marketing, Block could be worth a five-figure sleeve logo deal — potentially more than he would get from selling the famous 7-iron he used to make his ace last Sunday — from a specific brand just for the exposure he is getting this week after his introductory star turn. “If you’re Michael Block, you want to try to maximise the opportunity that exists right now,” says Luke Fedlam, who leads Porter Wright’s sports-law practice in Columbus, Ohio. “The value of a short-term deal is based on television coverage, numbers of eyeballs on that coverage and overall exposure. If the fairy-tale story continues, it leads to more opportunities because of the ancillary coverage on news like ‘SportsCenter’ and in social media.”

It’s no accident that TaylorMade has featured Block prominently on its site this week, and that Michael Jordan reached out to Block personally to congratulate him for both his play and choice of kicks. Jana Smoley, a sports agent and former tournament director for the PGA Tour’s Reno-Tahoe Open, says the juice Block is bringing to Colonial this week is an ideal way to spend a sponsor’s invite.

“Just look at some of the social media that has surrounded this week,” Smoley says. “One influencer with more than three million followers posted he was headed to the course to watch Michael Block play. Social media isn’t the strength of most tournaments, so that was an instant boost. That’s the stuff that matters. The buzz is more important than the direct revenue a player brings in terms of ticket sales.”

Smoley distributed sponsor’s exemptions to the Reno-Tahoe event based on four main criteria: a player’s current “heat index” in terms of fan interest (like Block or a player like John Daly who remains massively popular even after losing his exemptions), an up-and-coming player who could win and bring national attention (Matthew Wolff won the 3M in 2019 as a rookie sponsor invite), a player with a relationship to the presenting sponsor or a player who has had a long-term positive relationship with the tournament.

No matter what Block shoots this week, he’ll be in the spotlight at least a few more times. The RBC Canadian Open has offered him another sponsor’s exemption in two weeks, and Block is guaranteed a return trip to the PGA next year at Valhalla. At least he’ll have time to get home for a change of clothes by then.

The post The lucrative money angle behind Michael Block’s invitation to play the Charles Schwab Challenge appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Not only was it understandable that Michael Block struggled on Thursday at the Charles Schwab Challenge, it was expected. It’s been a whirlwind of a few days for the 46-year-old club pro, not to mention the fact he was coming into Colonial completely blind, having never even stepped foot on the property before.

That said, Colonial is the quintessential shot-shaper’s track. A Harbour Town-like layout that brings the older, shorter hitters like Block into the mix. As unlikely as it sounds, there was an alternate universe where Block carried over the momentum from Oak Hill and played some decent golf on the iconic Perry Maxwell design.

Unfortunately for Block, and for his merry band of Blockheads on social media, this is the real world and the real world has a way of punching you in the mouth even in the best of times. Block came out of the gates bogey-bogey-bogey on Thursday, a tough start to recover from on a random day at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club let alone in the opening round of a PGA Tour event.

Impressively, he nearly did, making a birdie at the fourth to get one back and then playing the rest of the front nine in even par for a two-over 37. All things considered, not the worst start, and it almost featured yet another fairy-tale moment at the par-4 ninth:

Michael Block was THIS close to an eagle hole-out ? pic.twitter.com/ULcar2WZJM

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 25, 2023

The very next hole, Block pulled off one of the sicker recovery shots you’ll see on tour this year after his tee shot at the 10th somehow came to a stop on a bridge.

Nobody can say this man doesn’t have a serious flair for the dramatic. What. A. Showman.

Things, predictably, came crashing down from there, with Block going on another stretch of three straight bogeys and then truly imploding late. He double-bogeyed three of the last four holes, finishing with an 11-over 81 that placed him in dead last by four strokes. Not surprisingly, he summed it up nicely afterward.

“It’s one of those days of golf. If you play golf, you know exactly what just happened,” said Block. “So I don’t really need to explain it too much because, if you are a golfer, you’ve had the day I’ve had. You understand the facts of where the lies aren’t good and the trees are in your way every time. Even your good shots are bad, your bad shots are worse, et cetera, et cetera.

“It is what it is. I’m going to live with it,” he added. “I thought it was going to happen that third or fourth round last week at Oak Hill, and it never happened. It happened now, and I wasn’t surprised by it, to tell you the truth. The experience I had last week was next level. So today, coming out here and not having my game at all and having a lot of bad luck or whatever you might call it, just call it golf. It is what it is. At the same time, I sat there, and I thought about it, and I said, I’m going to see my boys tomorrow night.”

The perfect perspective. This was always going to happen, and the fact that it didn’t happen last weekend in Rochester should never be described as anything but heroic. Everyone, Block included, expected him to crumble under the weekend pressure at a major, and if he did it still would have been a great story. To do what he did cannot be praised enough.

Of course, the naysayers of social media are likely relishing in the fact Block came crashing back down to earth, particularly after his quotes regarding Rory McIlroy’s length on a podcast appearance. Bad news for them is Block gets another crack at Colonial on Friday, and then he gets to finally go home and soak it all in with his family and friends while everyone hates on him from behind a screen. Think he’ll be just fine.

“I’m looking forward to coming out tomorrow and playing a great round and giving it everything I have,” said Block. “I’ve shot 58, and I’ve shot a 59 in my life, and since what I had today, I wouldn’t be surprised if I did it. So if I do, cool. If not, I’ll be seeing my kids and my wife tomorrow night in Orange County, California. It’s all good one way or the other.”

Amen to that.

A surprise leader

Harry Hall. Steve Dykes

Taking a look at the field list pre-tournament, one couldn’t help but wonder if this was yet another elevated event, with Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Sam Burns and a number of other top players rolling into Fort Worth after the PGA Championship. And if elevated events have taught us anything, it’s that the cream will rise to the top.

Turns out, the Charles Schwab is not an elevated event, and the stars of this field were either suffering a little major hangover or England’s Harry Hall was simply playing a different course than them on Thursday. His career-low eight-under 62 has him in the lead by three strokes over Harris English.

Making it that much more impressive was the fact this was Hall’s first round at Colonial. When asked if this must be his favourite course now, he said: “Hopefully it will be by the end of the week.”

Long way to go, but it’s a safe bet that if Hall wins for the first time on tour, Colonial will definitely be in his favourite-courses conversation.

A (somewhat) concerning stat for Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth. Jason Allen/ISI Photos

Up until his recent wrist flare-up, Jordan Spieth was absolutely humming. He’s-going-to-win-any-week-now type stuff. A ball-striking clinic. Given his history of success at Colonial, this felt like a great spot for him to pick up his first win of the year.

Should Spieth shoot something silly on Friday, it could still very well be, though it’s an uphill battle now after he opened with a two-over 72 on Thursday. That’s notable because Spieth has never shot an over-par round in the first round at the Charles Schwab Challenge:

This also marks just the third time he’s shot 72 or worse at Colonial in his last 31 rounds here. It’s a place he could get around in even par with his eyes closed, which makes you wonder if the wrist is a little worse than he’s leading on. Or, quite simply, he could have just had a bad day.

He sounded not too concerned with the “moderate grade tendon sheath tear” earlier this week, but he also mentioned that the injury in question can “be pretty significant and it can be very insignificant.” Obviously, he’s banking on it being the former, as he continues to play through it. For now it sounds like a week-to-week thing, which is a shame given just how well he was hitting the ball and how high everyone was on him before something popped while he was playing with his son a few weeks back.

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