Michael Block's Open bid falls short: 'I suck', jokes with crowd on entertaining rounds at Dundonald

Michael hit an Open road–Block at Dundonald Links, meaning no trip down the M6 to Royal Liverpool for the game’s new needle mover. He’ll be back to try again on another occasion, though, and, on the evidence of how he went about his business in this first attempt, it has to be hoped that the American gets to tee up in golf’s oldest major one day.

Michael Block reckoned he'd hit lots of good shots at Dundonald Links but was frustrated by his scoring in The Open Final Qualifying at the Ayrshire venue. Picture: Mark Runnacles/R&A/R&A via Getty Images.

Six weeks after earning celebrity status through his stunning effort in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, where he finished in the top 15 and claimed a hole-in-one in the closing round in the company of Rory McIlroy, the 47-year-old Californian teaching professional was the star attraction at one of four venues for Final Qualifying.

He got his wish on the Ayrshire coast. Windy and wet, it was definitely Scotland. But, as he discovered, the vagaries of links golf can often mean that good shots aren’t necessarily rewarded. In his opening round in particular, he was left bamboozled on a number of occasions by the end result when he’d thought he’d played a good one.

It left him feeling frustrated, which was perfectly understandable, but not once did Block boil over. As he showed the world when producing his Cinderella story in the season’s second major, the man who is attached to the Arroyo Trabuco Club has a terrific attitude and embraced the challenge in the 36-hole event from start to finish.

“I suck! Can you put that in a headline and we’re good?” joked Block as he reflected on scores of 77 and 76 for a nine-over-par total. “I was hoping for firm and fast and I didn’t get it. The rain hampered that fact and I’m not long enough to hang. I had a lot of 4-irons into par-4s and I have no chance doing that, so I’m not going to score well.

“So, honestly, 76 and 77, for as long as it was playing in the conditions, I’m not even that disappointed with it. It is what it is. I understand the fact that I am going to come back next year and hope it’s more firm and fast like a month ago here. That’s more my style and I’ll be fine.”

By the time he reached the turn in the opening round in the company of talented Thai amateur TK Chantananuwat and English professional Alex Wrigley, Block was three-over-par, having dropped shots at the fourth, fifth and seventh holes in the worst of the conditions as the Kyle Phillips-designed course staged The R&A event for the first time.

“I don’t mind taking bogeys after a bad shot, but it hurts when it happens after a good shot,” Block muttered heading off the tenth tee and duly displayed exactly what he was getting at. Showing he’d quickly mastered keeping the ball under the wind since arriving at the weekend to get himself ready for this assignment, his second shot with a long iron was drilled just short of the green only to three-putt from there.

Two holes later, he thought he’d judged the distance perfectly with another piercing blow into the wind only for it to come up short in a bunker, prompting a show of disbelief, though a silky touch from the sand saved par on this occasion.

Perhaps inspired by the sight of Arran appearing out of the early gloom to the west, his first birdie of the day was set up by a crisply-hit wedge from 115 yards to six feet at the 13th. As a two-tee start then led to a bit of a wait on the tee at the 14th, a PGA Cup chat with Wrigley included reference to Gareth Wright, who was based until recently at West Linton, with Block also having a bit of fun with a young fan. “Get out of my chair,” he said to the youngster, who was sitting beside a scoreboard before quickly adding “I’m kidding” as he started to get up.

Perhaps not helped by that short delay, Block tugged his drive there and found a nasty spot. He’d probably agree that his effort from there wasn’t pretty. “Why make golf hard? I am writing a book today,” he said to his caddie heading up the fairway.

Despite a sore bogey there and then being exasperated by coming up short at the par-3 15th, he obliged a fan who asked for a selfie before getting to the green. He was probably impressed by the individual in question being out in shorts and a T-shirt and fair play to him because he certainly made someone’s day.

To the delight of those waiting to see him at the 18th, Block birdied it, but he’d been looking for better than a 77, which left him well down the field in the battle for just four spots in the 151st edition of the Claret Jug on Merseyside in a fortnight’s time.

“The conditions were brutal, but, at the same time, I hit the shots I wanted to and they didn’t end up where I thought they would,” he told The Scotsman in a quick chat before dashing off for something to eat before heading back out again.

“It was very frustrating as I was executing the shots myself and my caddie wanted to but ended up in brutal locations and I ended up with way too many bogeys than I needed. I made golf as hard as possible. I just need to shoot six under – three under and three under and I think I’ve got it.”

Alas, he didn’t. Two bogeys to start the second circuit quickly doused any chance of the situation being retrieved, though it said everything about Block now being a household name in golf that the gallery following his group grew as the day went on.