Yang Yong-eun: Bolting From the Blue to Become Golf's Newest Sensation

As a golfing fan, I try to follow the games live on TV as much as I can, especially the Majors, and, whenever my favorite players are in the tournament. Like many golf aficionados, I was more or less expecting Tiger Woods to win the just concluded Major tournament, the US PGA. He has been playing one heck of a game since his return to the golfing world this year after more than 10-months of hiatus due to his surgery. And he returned as a better version of the old Tiger, I should say. Every time he plays, the feeling is like no amount of lead is safe as long as Tiger is around and lurking behind the leaders.

Another reason why I expected Tiger to win is that he has a perfect record on US soil of winning every tournament where he enters the final round on top of the leaderboard. So, when his game collapsed on the final round of tournament, the record was broken and it was really a huge surprise. So who tamed the most formidable golf player in the world? Well, the guy is virtually unknown as he is ranked 110th in the world. The lucky guy is a 37-year old Korean who goes by the name Yong-eon Yang.

With Y.E. Yang’s win, he not only moves in the world golf ranking from 110 to 33 (what a win in the Majors can do to your ranking; and of course the win is worth US$ 1.35M) but he also became an instant superstar, catapulted to the limelight of the golfing world. Furthermore, he set the record as being the very first Asian born player to ever win a Major.

Looking through his golf resume, in 2006 he won the Korean Open and in 2009, he won the Honda Classic and of course the just concluded US PGA .

Golf is a learning curve, whenever you play with the best players; your game also develops and improves. The earlier wins of Yong-Eon were baby steps that have prepared him to win a Major. His focus on the game during the last round was something that is evident, scoring eagles and birdies especially in the back nine. And he never showed any signs that he was intimidated at the sight of Tiger, more so being paired with the World’s Number 1. As in the case of even the seasoned players in the league, whenever they are paired with Tiger on the final round, their game more often than not goes south. But not in the case of this overnight sensation, while he was making birdies and eagle, Tiger was making bogeys in the last round that will leave you dumbfounded and in total disbelief.

With this win, Yeong Eon has restored not only Korea’s, but Asia’s place as well, in the world of men’s golf. He is now ranked 33rd in the world, and if he sustains his winning form, climbing the ranks would be no problem. KJ Choi has made it to as high as 6th in the World Golf Ranking, proof that Koreans have what it takes to slug it out with the best golfers in the world. This win also meant, he has booked himself a place in the President's Cup this coming October in San Francisco.

I do hope that Yong-Eon wins more tournaments particularly in the US and European circuits to prove that his winning the PGA Masters is no fluke. But for now, I’m just happy that finally an Asian has won a Majors, and that Tiger is human afterall.