The club pro at Oak Hill

A middle-aged man punched a seven-iron into a slight breeze late on a Sunday afternoon, squinted into the sun and watched as the ball he just hit flew straight into the hole. Based on golfing etiquette, the person who gets the ace must pay for the drinks of those who bore witness to it.

Since this was the 15th hole of the final round of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford, if Michael Block were to do this, the tab would run to, oh, $50,000, maybe more.

And you get the sense that he would gladly pay up.

True, it was Brooks Koepka, with three brilliant rounds of 66, 66 and 67 following an opening 72, that walked away with the Wanamaker Trophy, yet anyone who watched this PGA knew who really won.

It was the guy who tied for 15th, the best finish of any club pro at this event since 1986. That hole-in-one, and mind-blowing par saves on the final two holes, assured that Block would be exempt to next year’s PGA in Louisville.

Never mind the rewards, though. It was Block’s story, start to finish, which intrigued, then delighted, then moved the crowds at Oak Hill and all who watched it around the world.

You see, Michael Block is a club professional, not a full-timer. Prior to last week, he was just a full-time businessman in his late 40s with a wife and two teenage sons who ran a golf

VA nurses were omitted

To the editor:

I recently read your article praising nurses that worked in various areas from schools to the major medical institutions.

I cannot believe that you completely ignored the nursing staff at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. You owe the nursing staff at the VA Medical Center a sincere apology. Please remember that we have four hospitals in the Syracuse area, not three.

B RIAN S EMERARO d eWitt

Community loses a friend

To the editor:

Sadly, our collie Alexander has passed away. So many in this com -

Kate hill , ext. 325, khill@eaglenewsonline.com

Reporter: Jason Klaiber, jklaiber@eaglenewsonline.com sports editor: Phil blackwell, ext. 348, pblackwell@eaglenewsonline.com display Ads eB: linda Jabbour, ext. 304, ljabbour@eaglenewsonline.com club in Mission Viejo, California.

Oh, he was a good enough golfer to qualify for a handful of PGAs and a couple of U.S. Opens and appear in a few PGA Tour events, too. It wasn’t like he showed up at Oak Hill having never played well in a tournament before.

However, Block knew his limits. Having close connections with touring pros like Patrick Cantlay, he said he wanted no part of a life where his happiness depended on making a few putts.

So he gave lessons to grateful students, saw his boys grow up, and then, earlier this year, got within a single shot of winning the PGA Professional National Championship in New Mexico, where the top 20 get spots in the big-boy PGA.

For any of these club pros, just making the cut is a major feat. Even a single good round is tough to find, so when Block shot an opening 70 and, more importantly, did a commentary on ESPN while he was playing the 14th hole, he turned into the day’s curiosity, sure to fade away by Friday.

Except that Block made some early birdies in the second round and got near the lead. Then he cold-shanked a tee shot on the-par-three 5th and double bogeyed, but still pulled out another 70.

Now it was fun, hearing Block tell and retell his story and get emotional, something he said didn’t happen when his sons were born. Humility wouldn’t be a prob- munity knew and loved him, so it seems appropriate to share the news. He was a terrific friend to all, a loving therapy dog to kids and the elderly, the first to bring the R.E.A.D. reading assistance program to youngsters at the Cazenovia Library, and was the Collie Club of America Shining Star Library Dog Ambassador.

We ask that you think of him often and, if moved to do so, consider making a donation in his memory to the Cazenovia Public Library at 100 Albany St., to continue his influence on early literacy outreach. He was loved. He will be missed.

J ANE & P ETE L A S URE Cazenovia

‘Spellbound’ by chamber choir

To the editor:

Display Ads CR: lori lewis, ext. 316, llewis@eaglenewsonline.com

Classified Advertising: Patti Puzzo, ext. 321, ppuzzo@eaglenewsonline.com

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Creative Director: Gordon bigelow, ext. 331, art@eaglenewsonline.com trip. It all seemed to fall together. A fated breakfast.

Off we went, anticipation high for a breakfast out at a reasonable price. We went through the drive-in, got our biscuits and coffee, parked in the Wendy’s lot overlooking one of the main entrances to the shopping plaza, opened the windows and enjoyed our first marginally evil, forbidden food in years. It was great!

It tasted great, the warm arm that floated through the car windows was great and the coffee was surprisingly quite good. Yes, I know that the salt, fat, carbs and God knows what else in the biscuits, cheese, sausage and egg were not nutritionally up to par, but sometimes the psychology of the thing outweighs the other. I smiled through the whole escapade.

I spent the rest of the day in an exceptionally good mood, no doubt the stuff that behavioral professionals love to analyze. I have no plans to repeat our senior citizen escapade again, unless there are coupons, and then we will revisit my decision.

Tonight, salad.

Ann Ferro is a mother, a grandmother and a retired social studies teacher. While still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up, she lives in Marcellus with lots of books, a spouse and a large orange cat.

Random Thoughts

Phil blackwell

lem- as he put it, just ask his wife. Smart man.

Certainly the wet, laborious third round while paired with a major champion, Justin Rose, would end the fun. Ah, but at two over, Block again grabbed the mic for his 14th hole. Then he birdied. Then he birdied 15.

A third straight 70, a tie for eighth going to the final round – oh yeah, and a pairing with Rory McIlroy. When he walked to the 1st tee Sunday, the roar he got from Western New York golf fans dwarfed all those the full-time pros got.

For most of that final round, some reality descended, but that was all gone the moment the seven-iron flew into the cup at 15, and as he finished – well, many Buffalo Bills have gone whole careers never hearing such cheers.

Now comes the tough part. Many a charming story, in sports and elsewhere, has turned sour, and this culture is well-equipped to tear down those we build up.

Michael Block may end up disappointing those who fell in love with his story. Or he might grow, thrive and, like he did at Oak Hill, remind us all of the sheer joy and fun sports, at their best, can still bring.

Phil Blackwell is sports editor at Eagle News. He can be reached at pblackwell@ eaglenewsonline.com.

On Thursday, May 18, 2023, I had the enjoyment of attending the Cazenovia High School Spring Concert. The music of the jazz band, chamber choir, concert band and string ensemble was pleasant.

There was one piece that had me mesmerized, entranced, spellbound and enthralled. That performance was praiseworthy, meritorious, harmonious and euphonious.

The execution of the song, “Run to You,” by the chamber choir was exceptional, masterful and skillfully performed.

It was truly deserving of a standing ovation. I self-reproach. I regret that I did not stand. I humbly apologize to all members of the chamber choir. I wanted to acknowledge your achievement.