TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. – “He’s kind of stole the limelight from Brooks Koepka,” said Mike Tucker.
The scintillating performance of Parkway Central graduate Michael Block at the PGA Championship didn’t end with the Wanamaker trophy. But Michael’s 1-over 281—the lowest by a club pro in 37 years—is compared to the rounds of even the most legendary.
However, for Block, all the roots of his incredible journey trace back to St. Louis.
“He would have loved it,” said Carol Fromuth.
He was the late Jim Niederkorn, Block’s former coach, when he spent a year golfing for UMSL. Niederkorn’s good friend and former colleague, Fromuth, administrator for the Accelerated Golf Tour, says Niederkorn and Block kept in touch, and Niederkorn was always proud to see Block succeed.
“He was proud to have had him on his team. He kept asking me all the time, ‘Did you see what Mike did?'” Fromuth said. “This was one of Jim’s favorites. He was just a classy guy.”
Meanwhile, for country club pros like Bellerive’s Mike Tucker, Block’s performance is a score for the working man.
“He made us proud. He lived the dream that we all wish we can have someday,” Tucker said. “Not all of us get the opportunity to do what Michael did. But I’m happy to see that somebody that did get the opportunity make the most of it.”
