PGA Tour golfer John Pak
Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Knicks fans were obviously less than thrilled with what the team forced them to endure after the Pacers staged a comeback for the ages in Game 1 on Wednesday night. However, PGA Tour golfer John Pak found a silver lining after the loss helped him shoot the best round of his career at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
All signs pointed to the Knicks taking a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Finals showdown against the Pacers after pulling away from their opponent in the fourth quarter of Wendesday night’s contest; after all, New York had a 14-point lead with less than 2:45 to go, and teams that ended up in that position in a playoff game since 1997 had posted a spotless 994-0 record.
Unfortunately, it ended up blemished after Indiana rallied with the latest batch of late-game heroics from Tyrese Haliburton, who tied things up with a dramatic buzzer-beater before his squad got the victory in overtime.
That collapse transpired the night before the Charles Schwab Challenge kicked off at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, and by the time play wrapped up on Thursday, John Pak was sitting comfortably atop the leaderboard at -7 with a three-stroke lead over the rest of the field following an impressive bogey-free round that marked the best 18 holes he’s had since joining the PGA Tour.
It is worth noting that Pak hasn’t had a ton of time to set a mark to beat when you consider the current season marks his first one as a full-time member, but he’s put himself in prime position to get his first win during a campaign where his best finish has been a tie for 17th at The Mexican Open.
Pak is a New Jersey native who grew up rooting for the Knicks, and according to ESPN, he credited the team with giving him some extra motivation while speaking with reporters after the opening round, saying:
“I’m a die-hard Knicks fan, and that historically was one of the worst losses I’ve ever seen in my life, and there was a fire lit under me this morning. I was a little pissed off about that.”
The Knicks and Pacers will face off again on Friday night, and while Pak would presumably like to see them get some revenge, there’s probably part of him that wouldn’t mind a repeat performance based on how he fared after the initial one.