John Pak completes comeback, earns first PGA TOUR card

Three years ago, John Pak was the next big thing. The Florida State star swept college golf’s major awards, finished atop the inaugural PGA TOUR University Ranking (before the top spot offered a TOUR card) and seemed destined for a meteoric rise to greatness.

Progress isn’t linear, though, and perhaps Pak is stronger for it.

Pak finished No. 23 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List to earn his first PGA TOUR card, as the top 30 on the season-long standings received their TOUR cards Sunday afternoon at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. The New Jersey native began the season with conditional status, finished third at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club as a Monday qualifier and won the Compliance Solutions Championship in June to vault inside the top 10 on the Points List at the time. He notched two top-15 finishes in the season’s final three events to cement his spot in the top 30.

With Pak earning his card, all four PGA TOUR University No. 1s have now held TOUR membership. The past two No. 1s (Ludvig Åberg in 2023, Michael Thorbjornsen in 2024) earned automatic TOUR status, and 2022’s top-ranked Pierceson Coody earned his card via the top 30 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List.

“I've definitely doubted myself when I first turned pro and I really struggled,” Pak said after winning in Oklahoma (Compliance Solutions Championship). “A year-and-a-half ago, I had no status anywhere, but I have a lot of people that love me and support me, and I couldn't do it without them.”

In 2021, Pak earned automatic Korn Ferry Tour membership as PGA TOUR University’s top-ranked player. Rather than competing on the Korn Ferry Tour that summer to pursue a TOUR card, though, he competed in six TOUR events on sponsor exemptions; the goal was earning enough non-member FedExCup points to secure a card. The plan didn’t pan out, as he missed five cuts and finished 39th at the Barracuda Championship. Pak played a full Korn Ferry Tour slate in 2022 but notched just one top-25 showing, losing status at No. 145 on the Points List.

Pak had envisioned being a PGA TOUR member by 2023, but rather he was competing on PGA TOUR Canada, two rungs below the game’s highest level. It meant reshaping his definition of success and returning to the game’s inherent grind. He did just that, winning the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Brandt and finishing No. 8 on the season-long Fortinet Cup standings. That meant a direct ticket to Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, where despite a tie for 113th he was assured some Korn Ferry Tour status for 2024. It meant low-level conditional status, though, with a direct mandate for the season: Take advantage of opportunities when they come. Pak followed the blueprint at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, where he Monday qualified, made the cut and fired a final-round 63 to finish tied for third.

It's hard to say one round can change someone’s life, but the final round in Savannah might hold that meaning for Pak. Not only did it infuse confidence, but it bolstered his position in subsequent reshuffles of conditional members – meaning he’d have a full slate of Korn Ferry Tour starts to test his game, compete and chase his first PGA TOUR card.

One such start was the Compliance Solutions Championship, where Pak rode a blend of talent and confidence to a signature moment, one that he’ll remember for years to come.

“I started working with a sport psychologist (Gio Valiante) about three months ago and he's really helped me kind of redefine my whole psychological point of view on the game of golf and it's helped a lot,” Pak said in Oklahoma. “I think back then when I first started, it was really tough for me because I had some high expectations. I kind of put too much pressure on myself and I didn't have the success I wanted.

“It was really tough, but I've really kind of flipped the switch there and … the results are showing now, and I think he's helped quite a bit.”

The results prove it.

About John Pak

Age: 25
Hometown: Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Alma mater: Florida State University
PGA TOUR starts: 15
Cuts made: 3
Best PGA TOUR finish: T39, 2021 Barracuda Championship

Notes: Ended his Florida State career with eight tournament wins, tying a program record with Nolan Henke … Swept the 2021 Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Fred Haskins Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men’s golf … Was a two-time Walker Cup winner with the United States Team … Started playing golf with his three brothers … Was home-schooled for his last three years of high school … Says that if he could be any superhero, he would be Batman.