Michael Block Secures PGA Tour Champions Playoff Eligibility

Michael Block tees off in Sunday's final round of the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with a one-shot lead and a bigger prize already secured: his seventh PGA Tour Champions start this week makes his earnings official and locks in Schwab Cup playoff eligibility.

How did Block qualify for the playoffs?

As a non-member on sponsor invites, Block needed seven starts for his earnings to count toward the Schwab Cup postseason and tour membership. He has made $326,486 in six starts, already well inside the top-72 cutoff. Reaching Sunday's final round, his seventh start, completes that requirement regardless of the result.

What happened in the second round?

Block shot a bogey-free 63 Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Steven Alker. "It's spiraling upwards, which is good," Block said of his season. Seven starts alone guarantee him a return trip to the Champions tour; Sunday could hand him a trophy on the way out the door.

Can Block beat Alker this time?

The two are paired together again Sunday. The last time they shared the lead late, at the Ally Challenge, Alker made a string of birdies down the stretch to win while Block slipped to a T3 finish. Block said the lesson was to stay himself rather than play cautiously, pointing also to his Champions tour debut in June at the Dick's Open, where a 54th-hole triple bogey cost him a chance to contend.

Block, who turned 50 in June, is the head pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, and first drew national attention at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Seven starts alone guarantee Block a return trip to the Champions tour; Sunday could hand him a trophy on the way out the door.