Michael Block’s heater continues with SCPGA Championship win, earns PGA Tour exemption

The Block train doesn’t have a final destination as the PGA professional won the SCPGA Championship to play in another PGA Tour event.

As if Michael Block couldn’t get any cooler, he won his second straight PGA section major at the Southern California Match Play Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles.

Block won both his semifinal match and the final match in extra holes. It took 19 holes in the finals against Vinnie Poncino before securing another title.

The PGA Championship hero defeated his first opponent, Mike Mendoza 2UP, as he shot a 5-under in the round of 16. Then he took down Eric Yoo in the quarterfinals 3 & 2.

Against Kenny Pigman in the semifinal match, Block was 2 UP through 12 holes as the duo went back and forth. The Arroyo Trabuco club pro made a bogey on the par-3 13th to drop to 1 UP. Pigman made a birdie on the par-5 16th to tie the match with two holes to go.

Block and Pigman made pars on the final two holes to send it into sudden death. But Pigman bogeyed the 19th hole as Block earned a par for the win.

That victory sent Block into the hunt for his second SCPGA major championship of the year. He and Poncino stayed close throughout, with Block thrice holding a one-hole lead, only to see Poncino bounce back.

Ultimately, Block made par on the 19th hole while Poncino bogeyed, handing the 47-year-old another title.

He has now gone back-to-back winning section majors as Block captured the SCPGA Section Championship at Sherwood Country Club last week. That victory earned him a spot on The American Express field on the PGA Tour. This week’s win put him in the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo San Lucas on Nov. 2-5.

No one can forget Block will also be in the field for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Golf’s ‘everyman’ is a story with no end in sight. We can all rejoice at that!

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.