PGA Tour rookie John Pak delivered the best performance of his career at the Charles Schwab Challenge, shooting a bogey-free 7-under-par 63 to lead the tournament after the first round. And who did he credit it to? The Knicks’ devastating overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks’ collapse was historic, marking the first time in 994 playoff games that a team lost after leading by 14 points with under three minutes remaining. Pak admitted the loss ignited a fire inside him and motivated his performance. It seems like the New York City native’s die-hard Knicks’ loyalty paid off in one way or another.
“That was historically one of the worst losses I’ve ever seen in my life,” Pak told reporters after his opening round. “There was a fire lit under me, yeah, this morning. I was a little pissed off about that.”
Pak drained a 147-yard approach for eagle on his first hole, then notched another five birdies to round off his bogey-free round, For The Win reported. Usually, a major emotional event before a match makes athletes underperform, but that wasn’t the case for Pak.
“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.”
As the Knicks prepare for Game 2, Pak aims to maintain his lead and capitalize on this momentum.
