SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – When Florida State head coach Trey Jones was recruiting John Pak, people would come up to him and say things like, “Hey, my friend John Pak’s coming to your school,” and it didn’t matter where they were from. California, Chicago, Florida, it was always “my friend, John Pak.”
Now it’s Haskins Award winner John Pak.
The Florida State senior was named the 2021 winner of the Haskins Award, given annually to the player of the year in men’s college golf. In ten events his senior year, the Scotch Plains, New Jersey native logged one win at the Calusa Cup, seven top-5 finishes and nine top-10s. His worst finish? A T-12 at the Timuquana Collegiate.
Following his T-5 stroke-play finish at last month’s ACC Championship, Pak was named the conference’s player of the year, a perfect bookend to his career after winning ACC Freshman of the Year in 2018.
“He’s so well respected, never says a bad thing about anybody,” Jones said of his star player. “He’s the guy you want to go play golf with. For him to win that award, it’s an honor for him for who he is.”
Pak’s name will now be etched in college golf history along with the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, David Duval and Ben Crenshaw, to name a few.
“There’s so many great golfers that have won this award and to be up there with those guys, it gives me a lot of confidence,” said Pak.
After the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship on Monday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, Pak led the inaugural PGA Tour University class of 15 players who earned a spot at the professional level due to their performance in college golf. Pak will be taking his talents to the Korn Ferry Tour after receiving membership and will be exempt into all open, full-field events beginning with the BMW Charity Pro-Am, June 10-13, through the conclusion of the regular season.
“I have a great support system around me at Florida State. I’m so happy I chose to come here at Florida State,” said Pak. “I’ve had so many coaches around just helping me get better every single day, that’s what I think helped me have such a great season this year.”
List of Haskins Award winners
2021 – John Pak, Florida State
2020 – Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine
2019 – Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma State
2018 – Norman Xiong, Oregon
2017 – Braden Thornberry, Ole Miss
2016 – Beau Hossler, Texas
2015 – Maverick McNealy, Stanford
2014 – Patrick Rodgers, Stanford
2013 – Michael Kim, California
2012 – Justin Thomas, Alabama
2011 – Patrick Cantlay, UCLA
2010 – Russell Henley, Georgia
2009 – Matt Hill, North Carolina State
2008 – Kevin Chappell, UCLA
2007 – Jamie Lovemark, USC
2006 – Pablo Martin, Oklahoma State
2005 – Ryan Moore, UNLV
2004 – Bill Haas, Wake Forest
2003 – Hunter Mahan, Oklahoma State
2002 – Graeme McDowell, Alabama-Birmingham
2001 – Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech
2000 – Charles Howell III, Oklahoma State
1999 – Luke Donald, Northwestern
1998 – Matt Kuchar, Georgia Tech
1997 – Brad Elder, Texas
1996 – Tiger Woods, Stanford
1995 – Stewart Cink, Georgia Tech
1994 – Justin Leonard, Texas
1993 – David Duval, Georgia Tech
1992 – Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1991 – Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1990 – Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1989 – Robert Gamez, Arizona
1988 – Bob Estes, Texas
1987 – Billy Mayfair, Arizona State
1986 – Scott Verplank, Oklahoma State
1985 – Sam Randolph, USC
1984 – John Inman, North Carolina
1983 – Brad Faxon, Furman
1982 – Willie Wood, Oklahoma State
1981 – Bob Tway, Oklahoma State
1980 – Bobby Clampett, BYU
1979 – Bobby Clampett, BYU
1978 – Lindy Miller, Oklahoma State
1977 – Scott Simpson, USC
1976 – Phil Hancock, Florida
1975 – Jay Haas, Wake Forest
1974 – Curtis Strange, Wake Forest
1973 – Ben Crenshaw, Texas
1972 – Ben Crenshaw, Texas
1971 – Ben Crenshaw, Texas