Michael Block disqualified after 'walking off course without speaking to playing partners'
Michael Block disqualified after 'walking off course without speaking to playing partners'
Andrew GambleMon, August 10, 2026 at 1:52 AM UTC
0
Michael Block was disqualified after he walked off the course after the 12th hole of the final round of the PGA Seniors Championship -Credit:Getty Images
Michael Block walked off the course in the Senior European Tour after the 12th hole during the final round of the PGA Seniors Championship.
While the LIV Golf individual season concluded at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Donald Trump watching on, the PGA Seniors Championship was staged at another of the president’s courses. Across the Atlantic, the tournament took place at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland.
After being invited to play by a sponsor, Block endured a difficult showing — and an early exit. Block, who surged to fame at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, showed up late for his final-round tee time and suffered a two-shot penalty before he had even swung a club.
• Donald Trump gives rambling speech at golf course to staff facing redundancy
• New $2.1B Buffalo Bills stadium has huge design flaw as fans can't see game
Block claimed he was late to his tee time for the final round which he later explained on social media as “only a couple of seconds” because he was taking pictures with volunteers. However, he took responsibility in the same Instagram post, admitting it was the “first time” it had happened in his career — and “completely my fault.”
The 50-year-old then watched his front nine collapse, shooting a seven-over par to sit at 43. He then bogeyed the 12th and decided to call it a day.
Advertisement
Block walked off the 12th green without telling his marker or playing partners about his decision, which stemmed from his disappointment with the course setup. As a result, he was disqualified.
After exiting the tournament, Block told Golf Digest that he withdrew due to injury — and attempted to explain his disqualification. He said: “I withdrew mid-round. Thanked my playing partners, their caddies, the spectators, and the walking scorer. Handed the scorecard I was keeping to the other player. Asked the scorekeeper to call an official for a ride in.
Subscribe to our golf newsletter for all the latest news and views from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and beyond
“A gentleman with a European Tour jacket arrives a couple of minutes later and I tell him that I’m withdrawing. Once I arrive to the clubhouse, I walked into the championship office to thank them for the week, but no one was there but thought nothing of it, thinking that I had withdrawn correctly, but I guess the gentleman that gave me the ride was not an official so I was DQ’d, rather than a WD.
“To hear these accusations that I just walked off the course and that I was upset about the course conditions is absurd.”
Block had carded rounds of 76-73-78 before the final round, but insisted he entered the tournament while battling a left wrist injury. He added: “Tweaked my already weak left wrist on 10th hole, hitting out of a bush. Went into the brush again a couple of holes later and didn’t want to injure it more. I was completely out of the tournament, and I didn’t feel it was smart to keep going at that point.”
The Legends Tour issued a statement about the incident to Golf Digest, which read: “Michael Block has been disqualified from the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship after failing to complete his final round. During the final round of the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, Michael Block left the course before completing his round and without completing the necessary process of advising tour officials of any injury or illness.
“As a result the official listing has been recorded as 'disqualified' rather than ‘retired.’”
Source: “AOL Sports”
