Believe it: Yang beats Woods at Hazeltine
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 08/19/2009
Pinch me, please. I’m still in disbelief — stunned even. Tiger Woods falters? Sometimes you see something with your own eyes and still don’t believe it.
Sunday, a breezy, blustery day at Hazeltine National, Y.E. Yang, the 110th ranked player in the world, outperformed the greatest golfer maybe of all time, Tiger Woods, to become the first Asian male golfer to win a Major Golf Championship, the 91st PGA. Yang rallied from nine shots back on Friday to shoot 67-70 on the weekend and do what no one had ever done before: beat Woods head to head on the final day of a Major Championship.
When I got home, my son Marcus, who was at the tournament, said, “Dad, Tiger choked!” I told him no, he didn’t. Yang won it; he played the best golf over the weekend. Woods gave it everything he had. He just could not make a putt.
To finish first you must first finish, and Woods could not finish. He could not stretch his lead because his putter failed him.
Woods shot 67-70-71-75 (-5). Yang shot 73-70-67-70 (-8). Woods had a two-shot lead going into the final round and was paired with Yang because defending Champion Padraig Harrington bogied the 18th hole on Saturday to slip into a tie with Yang at -6. Because Yang finished before Harrington and posted his -6 first, he was paired with Woods on Sunday.
Woods was an incredible 14 for 14 when leading or sharing the lead after 54 holes in a Major and was 36-1 in all tournaments. When asked what happened, Woods, the greatest closer golf has ever known, said “He [Yang] never really missed a shot all day. He made that mistake at 17, but other than that he hit it great all day. It was a fun battle. Unfortunately, I just didn’t make the putts when I needed to make them.”
Woods missed birdie putts on one and two and three-putted the par three fourth hole. Yang was able to tie Woods on number eight when Woods made bogie. Yang was able to tie Woods after the front nine despite shooting even par.
Woods said, “As far as the tournament switching on 13, I stuffed it in there. He made a mistake, hit it into the left bunker. He blasted out and I missed my putt. He made his, and he chipped in on the next hole.
“That two-hole stretch turned things. If I make my putt and he doesn’t chip in, he doesn’t make his putt on 13 — a lot of different scenarios could have happened on those two holes. But I didn’t execute. I did not make the putt, and certainly he did, and he chipped in as well.”
Yang’s victory just puts Woods’ assault on the record book of golf on hold. It’s the first year that Woods did not win a Major since 2004. Had Woods won, it would have been his career 15th Major Championship win at age 33. Jack Nicklaus did not win his career 15th Major until he was 38 years old.
Woods said, “I didn’t win today. I did not putt good at all. I had a bad day at the wrong time.” Woods had 33 putts over the 18 holes, and for the second time finishes runner-up at Hazeltine in the PGA Championship.
Yang wins $1,350,000 and gains a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship. He also gets a membership at Hazeltine National. Yang taught himself the game of golf at age 19, turning pro in 1996. He was the Korean PGA Rookie of the year in 1997. He also had beaten Woods in 2007 by two shots at the HSBC in Shanghai.
This loss proves that Woods has not completely recovered from the knee injury that took him away from golf for nine months. He had played three weeks in a row and won the previous two weeks. However, playing the longest course in Major Championship history, he was not as strong at the end. And his worst round was the last round of the third tournament, a 75.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com , or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com .
