PGA Tour rookie John Pak leads Colonial after 'fire lit under me' - ESPN
FORT WORTH, Texas — PGA Tour rookie and «die-hard» New York Knicks fan John Pak used his frustration to his advantage Thursday, shooting a 7-under 63 to lead the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.
The New Jersey-raised Pak found all the motivation he needed when his Knicks blew a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of a 138-135 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night.
«I'm a die-hard Knicks fan, and that was historically one of the worst losses I've ever seen in my life,» said Pak, who has one top-25 finish among seven made cuts in 12 events this year. «There was a fire lit under me, yeah, this morning. I was a little pissed off about that.»
Starting on the par-4 10th, Pak holed a 147-yard approach for eagle. He added five birdies in a bogey-free round. The 26-year-old Korn Ferry Tour graduate, and one-time winner on the PGA Tour Canada, is the fifth rookie to hold a first-round lead in an individual event this year.
He has a three-shot lead over nine players, with J.J. Spaun the highest-ranked among them at 27th. Tommy Fleetwood and 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman were among a group of nine players four back of Pak.
Now that he has the lead, what are Pak's plans for Thursday night?
«Thankfully the Knicks aren't playing tonight, so I won't be stressed about that,» Pak said. «I didn't sleep well after that loss last night. I'm going to recover, do a little stretching, and then maybe watch the Thunder game later tonight.»
Among the 15 players who are five shots back is world No. 1 and Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler, whose playoff experience as a fan went much better than Pak's did.
Scheffler, coming off a win at the PGA Championship, spent his