Michael Block's success at PGA Championship no surprise to LI club pro Matt Dobyns

Matt Dobyns, the head pro at the Meadow Brook Club in Jericho, was exhilarated on Sunday afternoon as he watched fellow club pro Michael Block finish off his fairy tale story in the PGA Championship.

Block became an instant folk hero, making an ace on the par-3 15th hole then making up and down for par on the 18th, assuring a 15th-place finish that would automatically get him into the field for next year’s PGA Championship. The Rochester crowd at Oak Hill went wild over him and playing partner Rory McIlroy gave him a long embrace.

And Dobyns, watching on TV, felt the warmth of a good friend and the thrill of being in the cauldron. Dobyns has played in five PGA Championships and won the National Club Pro Championship in 2012 and 2015. Block won it in 2014 and finished second this year to qualify for the PGA.

“I was paired with him a bunch of times, we were on PGA Cup teams together,” said Dobyns of the man who is the head pro at the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California. “I know him and his wife, Val. I’ve always been very fond of Michael. He’s very easy to be with, good to play with. Got to know his sons a little bit and know he’s a good father. He’s always including his kids in his golfing escapades. I couldn’t say enough good things about him. He is who he appears to be on television.”

It comes as no surprise to Dobyns that Block was able to perform in the spotlight.

“He’s very imaginative. He plays creatively, instinctually,” Dobyns said. “Once he gets the putter sent, once he puts his bottom hand on the putter he goes. He’s really reactive, which is kind of how he plays. You can tell he sees a lot of different shapes and trajectories when he plays and he’s able to hit those shots without getting too technical. His short game is very creative. He’s just a creative player.”

It’s likely hard for the 46-year-old Block to imagine all that has happened to him. He’s is playing on a sponsor’s exemption in the Charles Schwab at Colonial this week and also has an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.

"I've said it a lot, but it's just a dream," Block said at Colonial on Tuesday. "I'm just cruising. I'm actually kind of glad that at this point I haven't come to the reality about what's happening so I can actually play pretty good golf. I think if I sit down and think about it too much, I'm not sure I could swing the club on Thursday."  

Of the thousands of texts he’s received, one really floored him.

"I mean, getting a text from Michael Jordan today, that’s — I'm a big Jordan guy my whole life," Block said. "I was a little kid in Iowa saving 100 bucks for a pair of Jordans back in the day. Pretty darn cool, to say the least.”

And Michael Block is a pretty hot commodity.