What Michael Block told his caddie about Dustin Johnson before playing with him at the PGA Championship

Michael Block told his caddie not to attempt to keep up with Dustin Johnson

Block cannot compete with the long-hitters at the top of the game. He achieves a 155 mph ball speed off the tee, which Rory McIlroy can accomplish with a short iron.

So he made sure he and his caddie were playing their own game, playing within themselves, and dissecting the golf course.

After his opening round, he said, “Great round. Paired with DJ and Rasmus, two absolute bombers. The big thing at the beginning of the day was –, and I told Ethan, my son, who’s caddying for me.

“I said, ‘Do not try to hang with them. We’re just going to play our own game.’ Bunt it down the fairway. Main thing was get it in the fairway, put it in a spot, on the green or even off the green that would give us an opportunity to still make a par. And be very just — kind of dissect Aronimink, to be honest, which is what we did today.

“I dissected it to a 70 — I shot 70 today? That’s kind of cool. Yeah, had a great time. Everyone out there in Philly was very supportive. A lot of great people. Everyone in my group was great. Ethan, my caddie, and my son, killed it. We’re very happy with the end result.”

It was a great round for Block, who showed that experience is key to conquering these tough major tests.

What Michael Block told himself midway through his opening round at Aronimink

Block did not look an inch out of his depth during his opening round, but he had to convince himself that he belonged on this stage. He admitted that he had to give himself a pep talk on the back nine.

Block said, “I was in the bathroom on hole 12 or 13 today, and there was no mirror, so I wasn’t looking at myself. But I said, You got this. I go, You’re actually pretty good, buddy.

“And I just kept going. I’m like, I’m with DJ, one of my idols, a guy I looked up to my whole life, and Rasmus, who’s an unbelievable player, he’s like 63 in the world.

“They both hit it 50 yards by me on every shot. I’m just going, you got this, bud. You got it. It’s really cool. It’s kind of fun. If I’m going to be honest.”

With course management and ball striking, Block is in a great position to make the weekend tomorrow!