‘Keep being you:’ Michael Block keeps shaking hands, kissing babies on the senior circuit

The Michael Block tour continues its assault of the PGA Tour Champions this week in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Sanford International.

The Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club pro turned 50 on June 15, and has banked $320,452 in official prize money from five appearances so far while drawing plenty of headlines. That includes shaking the hand of just about every tournament volunteer to thank them for all they do.

“We’re so blessed to have these people all come out and spend their day out here on the golf course. I mean, it’s not a ton of fun sitting in one spot for eight hours or whatever it is, the amount of time they spend. For them to come out and do what they do is crazy,” he said on Thursday in a pre-tournament press conference. “I’ve been a club professional my entire life and my job as a club professional is to walk around and thank everybody and make sure they’re having a good time at the club, and that’s what I’ve done. You’ve seen it and I even take it to when I’m playing in the tournament, and that’s just what I do. It’s kind of funny where I’ve gotten hate for doing that, and it’s kind of an interesting thing, but it is what it is. But that’s me. The biggest thing that I just keep on getting texts from friends and family, and people don’t even know, is just ‘keep being you.’ And so, I’m going to do as much as I can to just keep being me.”

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This week feels a bit like a home game for Block, who grew up in neighboring Iowa from age 2 to 12. The two states share a direct border in the northwest corner of Iowa and the southeast corner of South Dakota, where they meet near Sioux City. Both of Block’s parents graduated from the University of Iowa.

“So, I grew up an Iowa Hawkeye,” he said, “I’m sorry to say to certain people, but I went to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City every Saturday during football season my entire life between the ages of 2 and 12. And then, my father got a job – he worked for Ralston Purina – got a job down at their headquarters in St. Louis when I turned 13, so I spent the years after that down in St. Louis.”

Block proceeded to recount how he learned to play golf at the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club, an island in the Mississippi River.

“Think about that,” he said. “It was a special place to grow up in Iowa and Hank Stukart was a PGA pro there that kind of taught me the game. I haven’t been back in a long, long time, so you know, we’ll see. I know there’s an event in Des Moines, so hopefully, I am able to play in that next year.”

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Block has been a breath of fresh air for the Champions tour. The anticipation entering this year was that a certain newly-minted 50-year-old named Tiger Woods might give the senior circuit a boost but so far it’s been Zach Johnson, another Iowa native, and Block who have provided a spark this season as the newbies.

Block finished top 10 in his debut at the Dick’s Open and contended at the Rogers Charity Classic (T-5) and held the 36-hole lead at the Ally Classic, settling for a T-3 after a final-round 74. But when he got back to his office last week, he was able to add the upcoming playoff events to his calendar.

“It was really cool to get back on that calendar and then I left the goal on there on the Stifel and then I went a week later, the Simmons (Charles Schwab Cup playoff event), which is in Arkansas. And now that’s on my calendar as well, it wasn’t even on my calendar. And, a little secret between us, is I also put the Charles Schwab Cup, the championship in Phoenix, on my calendar as well as the final goal of the year,” he said.