PGA Sunday has arrived, and Michael Block is still here

The legend of Michael Block continues to grow.

It was one thing when Block, the 46-year-old club pro from Mission Viejo, California, did a walk-and-talk interview on Thursday or earned himself some TV time on Friday as he flirted with the lead, shanked a shot, and then regrouped to comfortably make the cut. But it’s another now that as this 105^th PGA Championship turns to Sunday, Block hasn’t gone away.

Back-to-back birdies, at Nos. 14-15, on Saturday at Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course helped Block card his third straight even-par 70 to hang around at T-8, six shots back of 54-hole leader Brooks Koepka.

“We were watching TV earlier, and it was pouring rain and it was brutal conditions, the rough is sticky and tough,” Block said. “I said to everybody sitting on the couches this morning, I said, if I can pull off another 70, which I think I can if I keep it in the fairways, we’d be in a good spot, and I was able to do that.”

As Koepka has bashed his way around this meaty major-championship layout, Block has played to his strengths, finding fairways (second in field in driving accuracy), flushing irons shots (eighth in strokes gained approach on Saturday) and holing everything (second in strokes gained putting for the week).

“He’s solid, hits it very straight,” said Patrick Cantlay, an occasional playing partner of Block’s back home, “and on a golf course like this where you have to play from the fairway, that’s a big advantage.”

Still, Block, the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, isn’t the first guy to contend at a major who hits it on a string. And though this is his fifth career PGA Championship start, he spends his days not traveling the PGA Tour but rather dealing with, as he says, lawyers telling him how to grow grass and accountants telling him their burgers weren’t cooked right.

His biggest tournament check to date? $75,000. (Solo 37^th will take home that amount on Sunday evening at Oak Hill.)

Perhaps that inexperience should’ve made itself known by now. Block admitted that for the first three holes on Saturday, he couldn’t even look his playing competitor, Justin Rose, in the face.

“I’m a big fan of Rosey, and I’ve watched him my whole life, and I knew it could get a little too intimidating, the fact that, holy crap, I’m sitting here playing with Justin Rose, and that might get too big for me, so I literally just kind of looked down, looked at his shoes.”

But even though he still wouldn’t look at a leaderboard on Saturday evening, Block hasn’t lacked for confidence in himself. On the practice green on Saturday morning, Block poured in his first six putts from 10, 12 and 14 feet.

“Just dripping right in the middle of the cup,” Block said, “and I told my caddie John, I said, ‘John, we just need to get on the green.’”

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Full-field scores from the PGA Championship

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Block did, 13 times to be exact, and then needed just 29 putts, four of them for birdie. He nearly had a fifth one at the par-4 finishing hole, but he left his putt from 20 feet, 9 inches an inch short.

“I told my caddie, I go, ‘If I make this putt on 18, this is going to be the closest thing I’m ever going to get to hitting like a Game 7 home run,’’ Block said. “I literally told my caddie even before I putted on 18 because I literally felt that man, if that putt went in on 18 for birdie to go to 1 under total, it would have been an experience unlike any experience I’ve ever had in my life.

“But the coolest thing about it was I still had that feeling and moment even without making it, which is even cooler.”

Just wait until Sunday, Mr. Block, who can not only punch a return ticket to the PGA next year with a top-15 finish, but if he cracks the top 4 by Sunday night, he’ll be driving down Magnolia Lane as a Masters participant next April.

Block might not look Rory McIlroy, who will be alongside Block in Sunday’s fourth-to-last twosome, in the face until scoring.

Block’s refreshing, down-to-earth personality has captivated the golf world for three days. He did another walk-and-talk on Saturday afternoon – another smash hit. But as enjoyable as it is to have Block a factor in this championship, no one is having more fun than he is.

“I doubt if anybody on this entire property loves golf as much as I love golf. Period,” Block said. “I’m a PGA member that loves the game more than anything, and I’m sitting here right now absolutely blown away by this experience, but at the same time I’m blown away by how my game has actually shown up. My game that I’ve always had. … I’m finally here, and I’ve finally done it.”