Fort Worth, Texas – PGA Tour rookie and “stubborn” New York Knicks fan John Pak took advantage of his frustration Thursday to lead the Charles Schwab Challenge with a 63-shot under 7 shots in a 63-shot low.
New Jersey-raised Pak scored a 14-point lead in the final three minutes of losing to the Indiana Pacers 138-135 in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night.
“I’m a hard-working Knicks fan, and it’s one of the worst losses I’ve ever seen in my life,” Parker said. “I had a fire underneath this morning. I’m a little angry about it.”
From the 4th 10, Pak scored 147 yards for the Eagle. He added five birdies to the bogey-free round. The 26-year-old Korn Ferry Tour graduate and one-time winner of the Canadian PGA Tour is the fifth-place rookie in the first round of this year’s solo event.
He took a three-shot lead of nine players, with JJ Spaun ranked highest at No. 27. Tommy Fleetwood and 2023 Open Champion Brian Harman are one of four of the nine players.
Now that he has the lead, what is Pak’s Thursday night plan?
“Thankfully, the Knicks didn’t play tonight, so I wouldn’t be stressed about it,” Parker said. “I couldn’t sleep after that loss last night.
Of the 15 players with 15 shots, world number one and Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler, his fans have a much better playoff experience than Pak’s playoff experience.
Scheffler, who won the PGA Championship, spent his Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night, defeating the Dallas Stars 6-3 to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 in Game 1 of the NHL Western Conference Finals.
“I was still able to go to the hockey game last night,” Schaeffler said. “I was still able to get home and get a decent rest.”
Scheffler also opened up his first round with flair, holing a putt for eagle from off the green on the par-5 first hole and a 23-footer for birdie on No. 2. He is going for a sweep of the PGA Tour events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area after winning three weeks ago at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which he led wire to wire for an eight-shot victory while tying the tour scoring record of 253.
“I had to play a lot of fairways on the golf course and I scored a good score,” Schefler said. “In those conditions, no one here is bad. Obviously, I wish it was a little lower, but overall, I felt good about where I was.”
Scheffler’s hometown favorite Jordan Spieth named the birdie in two of his last four holes, two of his holes, 69, known as Ben Hogan, the only player who won the colonies in a row (1946-47 and 1952-53).
Joel Dahmen scored a hole on the 13th of 186 yards when his tee shot was about 25 feet behind the hole and spinned backward. The 37-year-old’s first career ace was followed by seven bogeys, with his 74 shots.
“It’s been nine years here, and it’s a three-shot attempt,” Daman said. “A lot of it looks good, and it’s cool to finally get in.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
