Michael Block is now a sports sensation. You can watch him play in Louisville next year.

Few athletes have ever captured the hearts and minds of sports fans as quickly as Michael Block did over the weekend.

The club pro golfer from California put in a remarkable performance at the 2023 PGA Championship — golf’s second major of the calendar year — at Oak Hill Country Club near Rochester, New York.

The 46-year-old Block — whose day job is head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California — posted rounds of 70, 70, 70 and 71 on the par-70 Oak Hill course, which was good enough to finish in a tie for 15th place.

Not only did Block finish just 10 shots behind eventual champion Brooks Koepka, but he soundly beat a plethora of top professional golfers over the course of four days in Upstate New York.

The most stirring moment of Block’s championship performance came late Sunday afternoon, during the height of viewership for the event.

Playing alongside star Rory McIlroy, Block made a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th hole by flying the ball directly into the cup without a bounce.

The viral moment, paired with a crucial par save on the par-4 18th hole, helped Block secure his 15th-place finish.

It was the best finish by a club professional at the PGA Championship since Lonnie Nielsen finished in a tie for 11th in 1986.

Why is that finishing spot so important?

It ensures that Block — who was playing in his seventh major championship and fifth PGA Championship — will get at least one more experience on one of golf’s biggest stages.

And it will come right here in Kentucky.

Block’s 15th-place finish earned him an exemption into the 2024 PGA Championship, which will be played from May 16-19 next year at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

This means Block won’t have to go through any kind of qualifying process to play in next year’s PGA Championship: He is already in the field.

While that is still nearly 365 days away, Block’s immediate golf future has already changed thanks to his captivating showing at Oak Hill.

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For starters, he had never made a cut in a major championship until this past week, and he won $288,333 for his efforts.

Block will also be around the PGA Tour in the near future: He earned an exemption into this week’s Tour event, the Charles Schwab Challenge in North Texas, and next month’s RBC Canadian Open in Canada.

Block actually played in the PGA Championship the last time it was held at Valhalla in 2014. He was 9-over-par after two rounds and missed the cut in a tournament won by McIlroy, Block’s playing partner from Sunday at Oak Hill.

Michael Block acknowledges the fans on the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Championship in New York on Sunday. The club pro from California finished in 15th place, earning a guaranteed spot in next year’s PGA Championship in Louisville.

TICKET INFORMATION FOR 2024 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AT VALHALLA

Tickets for the 2024 PGA Championship are being sold through a “free, no-obligation registration process” called PGA Ticket Registry, which began in 2012.

Fans should visit pgachampionship.com/register to register for tickets.

Tickets to the 2024 PGA Championship will not go on sale until this summer, but the PGA Ticket Registry process allows you to sign up for a place in line — first come, first served — for the opportunity to buy tickets.

Tickets for the 2024 PGA Championship will also be “food inclusive,” which means every ticket will cover food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Volunteer registration for the 2024 PGA Championship is already open, and people interested should visit pgachampionship.com/2024/volunteer for more information.

Valhalla has previously hosted three major championships, all of which were PGA Championships, in 2014 (won by Rory McIlroy), 2000 (won by Tiger Woods) and 1996 (won by Mark Brooks).

The 2024 PGA Championship will be the seventh PGA of America spectator event hosted by Valhalla: The course was also the venue for the 2008 Ryder Cup (won by the United States) as well as the 2004 and 2011 Senior PGA Championships.

Professional golf will return to Kentucky in just a few months, though, with the annual PGA Barbasol Championship, which will be played at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville from July 13-16.

Club pro Michael Block posted rounds of 70, 70, 70 and 71 on the par-70 Oak Hill course, which was good enough to finish in a tie for 15th place.