DUBLIN, Ohio – Florida State head coach Trey Jones spent last week focused on his team’s performance at the NCAA Championship, but not long after the Seminoles lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Pepperdine, he switched to another hat – travel agent.
After returning to Tallahassee, Fla., Jones needed to find a way to get star senior John Pak to Columbus, Ohio, to receive the Jack Nicklaus Award on Sunday and then back to South Carolina where he will be making his first start on the PGA Tour as a professional this week.
Luckily for Jones, and Pak, the coach had connections.
“I reached out to some donors and Brooks [Koepka] being on that list I reached out to him and said, ‘I think I’m going to need a favor,’” Jones said. “Immediately my phone rings and he said, ‘What do you need?’ He’s one of those guys when he tells you if you ever need anything call me, he means it.”
Koepka offered to cover whatever cost Pak needed for a private flight and the next day he picked up the entire trip.
“That’s not the first time,” Jones said. “You’re not going to see Brooks standing out there with a big check. Anything our golf team needs he will do it, but he’s just going to keep it to himself.”
Pak was able to accept the award from Nicklaus on Sunday at Muirfield Village and head back to Tallahassee to prepare for the Palmetto Championship at Congaree in Ridgeland, S.C.