Michael Block makes a hole-in-one alongside Wayne Gretzky at the Ultra Hole Challenge
Michael Block made a hole-in-one alongside NHL legend Wayne Gretzky at the Ultra Hole Challenge on Friday, 27 September. The event was held at Golf Saint-Raphaël, near the Royal Montreal Golf Club, the venue for this week's Presidents Cup.
It took place just after the completion of the second round of the team event on Friday. The sports stars were given 90 attempts to make a hole-in-one during the tournament.
Block became an overnight sensation with his remarkable performance at the 2023 PGA Championship, where he made a hole-in-one at Oak Hill Country Club and finished 15th on the leaderboard. Block attempted another hole-in-one in a similar tournament last year but unfortunately failed. However, he finally achieved it on Friday.
While Block plays golf professionally, Wayne Gretzky’s son-in-law is a professional golfer. His daughter Paulina Gretzky is married to former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who now plays on LIV Golf.
Moreover, the NHL star is also known for his regular appearances at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. In 2020, he paired up with his son-in-law at the competition. Sharing his experience of playing with Johnson, Gretzky said, via The Canadian Press:
"I remember saying to Dustin at the end of that one, 'you know, it's really hard for me, because I'm 60 years old now, and I don't hit it very far. I'm not very good."
While Block and Gretzky made headlines for their hole-in-one on Friday, the International Team at the Presidents Cup became the talk of the town with their phenomenal comeback. They won all four matches on Friday and tied with Team USA at 5-5.
Michael Block nailed hole-in-one during a promo shoot with Wayne Gretzky for the Ultra Hole Challenge
Michael Block has reportedly made six hole-in-ones in his career so far, adding the latest one. Interestingly, one of those was recorded while Block was filming a promotional video with Wayne Gretzky for the Ultra Hole Challenge earlier this year.
The American golfer was hitting shots for the promotional video, and within four or five attempts, the ball went straight into the hole, resulting in a hole-in-one. Speaking about his shot, Block said, via Global News:
"When we were doing the content shoot, I actually made a hole-in-one with Wayne. I literally met him five minutes before this and we’re sitting there and we’re hitting the shots just for video and stuff and literally on, like the fourth or fifth shot, the ball goes in the hole.”
Interestingly, Gretzky has also made a hole-in-one in his lifetime. As reported by the Canadian Press, the NHL star achieved the feat during an amateur golfers' match at Sherwood Country Club in 2021 in Thousand Oaks, California.
Reflecting on his experience of making a hole-in-one, Gretzky said:
"We were playing a fivesome and everybody's like 'Oh my god!' and I couldn't even see the ball. I got it the best place you could do it, Jack Nicklaus's signature hole and, of course, he built Sherwood Country Club. The only better thing would be getting a hole-in-one at Augusta."
Although the Ultra Hole Challenge concluded on Friday in Montreal, the Presidents Cup will continue throughout the week and conclude on Sunday, 29 September.