John Pak shoots 63 for three-shot lead at Colonial
Tour rookie John Pak fired a 7-under 63 on Thursday and holds a three-shot lead after one round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, Texas.
Pak's career-best round began with an eagle on the par-4 10th hole, his first hole of the day at Colonial Country Club. He also had five birdies during a bogey-free round.
Pak, 26, made quite the statement with his eagle on the 392-yard 10th hole. He was 147 yards away for his second shot and knocked the ball in the hole.
"It was just like a perfect 9-iron," Pak said of the shot. "The wind was off to the left, and I just tried to hit a 145- shot. I actually pushed it a little bit because I was aiming left of it, and it kind of just trickled in.
"We didn't really see it but saw a couple of guys behind the green throw their hands in the air. It was kind of nice to see that fall in."
Nine golfers are tied for second place after shooting 4-under 66. Bud Cauley, Ben Griffin, Beau Hossler, J.T. Poston, Patrick Rodgers and J.J. Spaun were joined by Japan's Ryo Hisatsune, Germany's Matti Schmid and England's Matt Wallace in the mammoth logjam.
Another group of nine golfers are tied for 11th, four shots off the lead. Webb Simpson, Akshay Bhatia and England's Tommy Fleetwood are part of that mix.
Pak has one Top 25 finish this year, tying for 17th at the Mexico Open. He has made seven cuts and missed five.
He earned his PGA Tour card with a solid performance on the Korn Ferry Tour last year.
He looked like a veteran during the first round at Colonial, producing a stretch of four birdies in one six-hole run and finishing his day with another birdie on No. 9.
Pak pointed to his recent emphasis on putting as a prime reason why he was able to put together such a low score.
"I really worked on my alignment. I was struggling with aiming where I'm trying to hit it," Pak said. "When you're trying to aim right edge and you're aiming two cups out right, it's kind of hard. You're then trying to pull it into the hole, and it just gets really messy from there. So I really worked on that during the off-week last week. Yeah, that was kind of a big change for me."
Pak also found motivation from the New York Knicks. The NBA team blew a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to play on Wednesday night and lost 138-135 in overtime to the Indiana Pacers.
"I'm a die-hard Knicks fan, and that was historically one of the worst losses I've ever seen in my life," Pak said. "There was a fire lit under me, yeah, this morning. I was a little about that."
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is tied for 20th place after shooting 68. He had an eagle on the par-5 first hole as well as two birdies and two bogeys.
"On a day where I didn't hit a lot of fairways on a golf course where you have to hit a lot of fairways, I posted a decent score," Scheffler said. "Anything under par around here in these conditions isn't a bad score. Obviously I wish it was a little bit lower, but overall I feel decent about the position I'm in, and everything feels pretty good."
Scheffler won the PGA Championship last weekend for his third career major.
Jordan Spieth is tied for 35th at 1-under 69.
Defending champion Davis Riley is tied for 106th after a 3-over 73.
Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Who have been NBA champions over last 5 years? Finals MVPs, their standout performances, and more
Who have been NBA champions over last 5 years? Finals MVPs, their standout performances, and more (Image Credit: Getty Images) The NBA champion for the 2025 season is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team won it after a huge gap of 56 years. It was in 1979 when they last won the championship, but they were known as the Seattle Supersonics at that time. After their move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the 2025 NBA title will be their first. There has never been the same name on the NBA championship winners' list in the last five years. Here are the year-wise winners of the NBA championship over the last 5 years, and some of the interesting facts about the Finals MVPs. 2023-2024: Boston Celtics defeated Dallas Mavericks 4-1 The Boston Celtics were crowned the NBA champions for the 2023-2024 season. A 4-1 win over the Dallas Mavericks earned them the coveted title. ESPN's records reveal that Jaylen Brown was voted the Finals MVP, averaging 20.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 5.0 APG. He stood out both offensively as well as defensively to earn the recognition. The Celtics attributed their winning performance to impregnable defense, which restricted Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving from making shots. 2022-23: Denver Nuggets overpowered Miami Heat 4-1 The Denver Nuggets took only five games to prove their candidature for the 2022-23 NBA Championship trophy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Here's A List Of Cheapest Steel Suppliers (See List) Steel Suppliers | search ads Search Now Undo It was the Nuggets' first-ever NBA title. The Finals MVP award was won by Nikola Jokic, who knocked down the opponents with versatile performance in terms of points, rebounds, and assists. Jokic's impressive run in the season averaged ~30PPG, as per NBA's records. Jokic became the first player to lead the playoffs in all statistics. His Game 5 performance's highlight was 28 points and 16 rebounds. 2021-22: Golden State Warriors became NBA champions, beating Boston Celtics 4-2 The 2021-22 season found its NBA champion in six games. The Golden State Warriors crushed the Boston Celtics 4-2 to acquire the title. Stephen Curry won the Finals MVP award that year. Though he won three championships previously (2015, 2017, and 2018), it was his first Finals MVP award. Curry's standout performance was in Game 4, in which he scored 43 points, driving the momentum in the team's favor. After Game 4, the results stood 2-2, which ignited hopes among the team. 2020-21: Milwaukee Bucks defeated Phoenix Suns 4-2 to win NBA championship The 2020-21 NBA Champions were the Milwaukee Bucks. They dominated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 to prove their supremacy. The win ended the drought of 50 years for Bucks with this title. They had won the title before that in 1971. Giannis Antetokounmpo was voted the Finals MVP award. He stood out brilliantly with a chase-down block in Game 4 and an alley-oop dunk in Game 5. His rewarding statistics read 35.2/13.2/5.0/1.8. The final Game 6 saw Giannis deliver the standout performance of 50 points. It was the most brilliant closeout performance ever witnessed. 2019-2020: Los Angeles Lakers defeated Miami Heat 4-2 Amidst the tough conditions offered by COVID-19, the 2019-20 finals were played inside the bubble, with the Los Angeles Lakers taking the lead. Los Angeles Lakers defeated Miami Heat 4-2 Legendary LeBron James won his 4th Finals MVP title. It was his 4th NBA title as well. The sixth game proved decisive in announcing the worthy winner of the championship. In that game, LeBron exhibited triple-double dominance. Overall, he led the Lakers in every category. Also Read: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA Finals MVP after powering Oklahoma City Thunder to historic Game 7 win Considering the last five years' records, the 2024-25 season is different as it required playing all seven games of the best-of-seven Finals series to determine the winner. It underscores the tough fight the Indiana Pacers gave to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won the championship with young talent. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
'Our hearts go out to him' - Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle hails Tyrese Haliburton's heroic run in season, calls team's efforts defiant fight after championship loss
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle hails Tyrese Haliburton's heroic run in season, calls team's efforts defiant fight after championship loss (Image Credit: Getty Images) The Indiana Pacers' coach, Rick Carlisle, addressed reporters after Game 7. They lost the game to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The disappointed coach hailed Tyrese Haliburton's heroic run throughout the season and refused to comment on his injury. Haliburton suffered an injury during the game and was seen shaking hands with the roster while standing with the help of crutches after the game. Rick Carlisle appreciated Tyrese Haliburton's performance in season after Game 7 loss The Indiana Pacers coach was not happy. He was worried too. After all, his team dropped the final game and lost the trophy. Sad and disappointed by losing the championship, he addressed the reporters after the game. During the presser, he did not hold back his thoughts about injured Tyrese Haliburton and praised his performance in the season. He said: 'It was really moving, um, what happened with Tyrese is, uh, just all of our hearts dropped. But he will be back.' Tyrese Haliburton in tears after Achilles injury and carried to locker room in Game 7 He opened up about the injury, but didn't share many details, saying, 'Um I don't have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he'll be back in time and, um, I believe he'll make a full recovery.' Recapping Haliburton's season, Rick said, 'He authored one of the great um individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play. It was just something that no one's ever seen um and I did it as one of 17, you know. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What She Did Mid-Air Left Passengers Speechless medalmerit Learn More Undo That's the beautiful thing about him, um, as great a player as he is. It's always a team thing, and so, um, our hearts uh go out to him.' Haliburton suffered an injury, which disturbed the coach and teammates. The star guard had a phenomenal run in the 2025 season. Aside from his performances, his 'choke gesture' became the high point of the season and inspired a fan's tattoo design, too. Indiana Pacers coach stood by his team, highlighting roster's indomitable spirit The Indiana Pacers' performances were full of character throughout the season, undoubtedly. They even got the tag of the 'best comeback team' from stars like Caitlin Clark. The Pacers' coach summed up the whole season, highlighting the fourth quarter battles and the team's spirit to keep trying till the end. He said: 'They made some great plays, and um, you know, we got off to a slow start and and that quarter was the killer, and then, but I you know, to me the fourth quarter. The effort that our guys poured into the fourth quarter to win the quarter by one point um was epic, and it was just it was symbolic of what this team stands for, um, what basketball in Indiana stands for.' Indiana Pacers react to NBA Finals Game 7 🙏 'Our hearts dropped for Hali' - Carlisle | NBA on ESPN Further, he continued, 'And that there was, um, there was no surrender, it was just uh you know it was all defiant fight till the end. So, I told these guys coming into this that, you know, there's no feel-good scenario when you get to the finals and are unable to get it done, and it really hurts on the one hand…' Despite the loss, Pacers coach backed his team and said, 'On the other hand, this team has given us all of Pacer Nation something to be very proud of.' Also Read: NBA world reacts as Indiana Pacers lose star Tyrese Haliburton to injury just before halftime lead in Game 7 of NBA Finals The Pacers' coach was quite right in uplifting the spirit of the heartbroken team that lost the championship. The team played really well throughout the season and did not make it easy for the Thunder to claim the title. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander follows Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan with rare double MVP achievement in 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't just make an appearance this season—he completely dominated. What began as a remarkable year swiftly evolved into something legendary. The MVP discussions became serious, the playoff highlights turned into classics, and the Thunder's ascent wasn't accidental. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There's a reason his name is now being mentioned in talks that used to be for legends. And this is just the beginning. A performance for the ages as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rewrote NBA MVP & finals script In the 2024–25 regular season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an amazing season that resulted in him winning both the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award and the scoring title. Oklahoma City not only set a franchise record with 68 regular-season victories but also had the best point differential, indicating that this team, led by their 26-year-old star, was made for success. During the playoffs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded multiple games with 30 points and five assists, joining the ranks of and LeBron James in the record books. The Finals definitely highlighted his skills. In a seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. During Game 7, he scored 29 points and provided 12 assists, guiding the Thunder to a 103–91 win and their first NBA title since they relocated from Seattle in 2008. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's name now amongst all-time greats It's a rare achievement to win both the regular-season MVP and the Finals MVP—only ten players have done it before Gilgeous‑Alexander. He's the first to accomplish this since LeBron James in 2013, joining an elite circle — Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan. From this group, only Jordan has done it four times, while Bird and James have done it twice—this really emphasizes how remarkable Gilgeous‑Alexander's 2025 quadruple play is. Taking his season to the next level — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not only grabbed the league scoring title but also guided the Thunder to a championship, joining an elite group of just four players by age 26 to snag the MVP, Finals MVP, and scoring title in a single season—alongside legends like Kareem, Jordan, and Shaq. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It wasn't just Gilgeous-Alexander—Oklahoma City's youthful core came through as a unit. Jalen Williams put up 20 points in Game 7, while 23-year-old Chet Holmgren added 18 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks in the Finals finale. Coach Mark Daigneault's confidence in the younger players really paid off; their bench, featuring significant contributions from Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, played a key role in clinching the win. GM Sam Presti's rebuilding approach—from acquiring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to drafting Holmgren and Williams—has not only launched OKC to success but also set them on the path to becoming a dynasty. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't merely win MVP awards—he flipped the narrative. By earning both the regular-season and Finals MVPs, plus the scoring title, he entered the most elite fraternity in NBA history. Also Read: Oklahoma City just snagged their first championship since 1979 and the first ever in this city thanks to a mix of young talent, solid structure, and some serious star power. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 2025 season is now forever linked with legends like Jordan and Duncan, and it's going to be remembered as one of the most impressive and exciting in league history.
