Golf FanHouse

Y.E. Yang's Life is Changing

Shane Bacon — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:08:00 EST

This was supposed to do it. Y.E. Yang wins the PGA Championship, over Tiger Woods of all "people," and the floodgates were supposed to open.

Sure, Yang had won tournaments before, but this wasn't just any tournament. You win the Honda Classic on the American soil, and that's one thing. You take down the greatest golfer of our generation, and possibly ever, in a major championship he's leading after 54 holes, and that is quite another. So, what has happened to Yang, the man that was supposed to bring golf to a whole other planet with his significant victory at Hazeltine National just three weeks ago?

So far, a fair amount.

Forget the fact that South Korea set their alarms for 4 AM the morning Yang won the PGA Championship, hoping to catch their countryman do something that nobody from that area has ever done. Look past the fact that Yang mentioned he slept around 20 hours the entire week following his major championship victory because he was trying to fulfill all the media requests that were coming his way.

Maybe this moment best describes the type of status we can now expect from the Tiger-conqueror. Out in Carlsbad, Calif. after the win, working with some guys from Taylor-Made, Yang was approached by George W. Bush on the putting green.

The two made some small talk, with Bush asked him the million dollar question.

"He asked me whether it was nerve-racking to play with Tiger for 18 holes, especially on the 18th hole," Yang said. "And before I could answer, he said it must have been less nerve-racking than his eight years in office."

That is Y.E. Yang, post PGA. He's the face of a continent that has already spent years conquering the LPGA Tour. Sure, players like K.J. Choi, Shigeki Maruyama, Shingo Katayama have had success on the PGA Tour, but nobody has broke through in a big way, winning one of the marquee events over the biggest name in arguably the entire sports world.

Now, the Asian golf world isn't just a collection of random wins and the funny Cowboy hat of Katayama. They're real players, who will continue to succeed and do great things for golf on a global scale. Take this quote from South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, who was one of the many fans in the country to wake up early to see Yang make history.

"I woke up at dawn today to watch the broadcast, and you played in a calm manner,'' Lee told Yang, according to Lee's office. "First of all, you enhanced our people's morale by winning the major title for the first time as an Asian.''

The coming months will mean a lot for Yang. After the FedEx Cup, he will be pulled in multiple directions by anyone and everyone that want a piece of the man that didn't take up golf until he was 19. They will be looking at him as a hero on the other side of the pond, someone that can play this game better than anyone in the world, and might be another win away from claiming the PGA Tour Player of the Year (argument, commence).

"In some ways, you could say that I was the party pooper to Tiger's long streak," Yang said. "I have the utmost respect for Tiger Woods, and I like him. He's cool. I like his swing. And there's a lot to learn from him, not just as a player, but as a person. ... We always agree that Tiger Woods has bettered the game of golf.

"I'm a bit sorry, but if I had to do it again, I would still try and win."

It's a good thing he won, because golf will now never be the same. Could Yang do to an Asian population what Tiger did to the inner-city workings of American youth? Time will quickly let us know.

Y.E. Yang's Life is Changing originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Major Championships

Ryan Wilson — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: British Open, PGA, US Open, Masters, PGA Championship

Tiger Woods won five times in 2009, but for the fourth time in his 13-year career, he was shutout in the majors. That may not be cause for concern for Woods, but it gives fans and the media something to talk about. It also makes the "How would you rank the major championships?" question a lot more interesting.

With only one tournament left on the PGA Tour calender, now seems like as good a time as any to make my case. Obviously, this will be a scientifically rigorous endeavor, and I hope that you would treat the results accordingly. Or don't. Whatever, let's get to it.

In reverse order, the most exciting majors of 2009:

4. U.S. Open, Bethpage Black

Woods won this event in 2002, the last time it was at Bethpage, and there were any number of attractive story lines for the week: Tiger because, well, he's Tiger; New York golf fans' love affair with Phil Mickelson; and the endless heckling by those same fans of a gripping and re-gripping Sergio Garcia.

Seven years later and Tiger was still the most important player in the field, Phil was still looking for his first U.S. Open victory (more than that, he was playing with the knowledge that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer the month before),and Sergio had lost the interminable pre-shot routine but had gained the title of Best Player to Never Win a Major.

Yet despite the potential for intriguing subplots to play themselves out, the weather became the story. The first round was postponed and the tournament didn't finish until Monday afternoon. Oh, and Lucas Glover won the thing. That's not to say he didn't deserve it -- he did because he was able to hold it together down the stretch while Phil, Ricky Barnes and David Duval faltered. It's just that the constant downpours interrupted any rhythm a typical tournament develops as it builds to a (climatic, hopefully) Sunday finish.

So I'm blaming this one on Mother Nature.

3. PGA Championship, Hazeltine

I'll be honest: I would have ranked this event lower than fourth had Woods held on to win Sunday. It's not that his March to 19 isn't the biggest story in golf four times a year, it's just that Tiger has so mastered this game that it's hard to get too worked up by his latest "no way that just happened" moment.

And unlike the 2000 U.S. Open where he blew the doors off the rest of the field, or the 2000 PGA where he outlasted little-known Bob May in a playoff, or even last year's U.S. Open when Woods peg-legged his away around Torrey Pines for 91 holes, the '09 PGA was, well, boring.

Woods was atop the leaderboard for the first three days, and after a Thursday 67, he did just enough to maintain the lead for the next 36 holes in the most unexciting manner possible. It didn't affect ratings -- people will tune in just to make sure they didn't miss something previously thought impossible -- but that didn't make it any more watchable after the fact.

And then Sunday happened, Y.E. Yang merrily made his way around the course oblivious to what he was in the midst of. To prove that point, on the 72nd hole, he smoked his hybrid approach shot from more than 200 yards to 10 feet before draining a birdie putt for good measure.

You might argue that Yang's outta-nowhere performance should elevate the PGA to a first- or second-place ranking here. I'd agree except for this: Tiger didn't even put up a fight. He finished bogey-bogey and spent much of the final 54 holes trying to stay out of his own way. Now if he had mixed in a few snowmen on his way to the clubhouse and played himself off the first page of the leaderboard in spectacular fashion, I'd reconsider.

2. The Masters, Augusta National

This was Kenny Perry's tourney to win. He led by two strokes with two holes to play, but finished bogey-bogey. Instead of Trevor Immelman helping him slip into a green jacket, Perry found himself in a playoff with Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera. And two years after holding off Tiger and Jim Furyk at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, El Pato, against a different cast of characters, did it again at Augusta National.

The only thing more startling than Perry's late-Sunday collapse was how Cabrera's final round began. He spun his wheels early, going out in 1-over par. He then bogeyed No. 10 before carding three birdies on his final six holes.

If Cabrera's win was of the slow-motion, come-from-behind variety, Perry's loss was the opposite. It happened in an instant, and everybody -- including Perry -- knew it was over when he flubbed a chip on the 71st hole and couldn't get up and down on the 72nd. Sure, he still had the playoff, but as he stood on the tee box you sensed that he already knew his fate.

It made for slightly more captivating television than, say, Tiger pouting his way around Hazeltine while Yang methodically dismantled him.

1. British Open, Turnberry

I have no idea what the bylaws stipulate in terms of who qualifies for the PGA Tour Player of the Year, but if 59-year-old Tom Watson had won the British Open they should have given him the award on the spot. I'm not one for "instant history." In general, I like to take the long view when comparing amazing feats across eras. But I feel safe in writing that if Watson had somehow found a way -- just once -- to make an eight-footer when it mattered, I'd be the conductor on the "This is the most remarkable story of in recent memory" train.

And that includes Tiger's U.S. Open performance last summer. (Before you get all huffy, Watson didn't win so I don't have to argue that point. Which means that neither do you.)

But Watson missed the putt and headed to a four-hole playoff against Stewart Cink who, judging by the crowd, had exactly three fans on the property, all family members. (I should back up and mention that Watson has won five Open Championships in his career, including 1977, at Turnberry. Scotland has adopted him as one of their own.)

Still, Cink prevailed. Decisively. In fact, the old-timer charged with engraving the Claret Jug after the winner is determined got to work shortly after the two players teed off. On the first playoff hole, Watson hacked his way to a bogey while Cink made par, and the next three holes were an extended victory march. (Or farewell tour, depending on your perspective.)

The notion that a guy nearing his sixth decade on this planet almost pulled off the impossible against players half his age led to the predictable "golf isn't a real sport" vapidity. Call it what you want, but for me it's what makes golf great. I mean, prior to last week, I'm pretty sure nobody had Y.E. Yang staring down Tiger. It's the unpredictability that makes it compelling, that's the point.

Ranking the Major Championships originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Rory McIlroy the Next Golfer to Challenge Tiger Woods?

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship

The list of players, both young and old, who would challenge Tiger Woods is a lengthy one. Thirteen years after Woods turned pro, we're still waiting.

Phil Mickelson has always been in the conversation, but names like Charles Howell and David Gossett were gone faster than they came. Sergio Garcia was the clear choice in the late '90s and early '00s, but 10 years after bursting on the scene at the '99 PGA Championship as a 19-year-old phenom, he's still searching for his first major victory. Real life sidetracked David Duval, also a legit threat to Tiger's legacy around the time of Garcia's emergence.

And now, Camilo Villegas, Anthony Kim and Andreas Romero are often mentioned as likely candidates to unseat the world's best player.

Up till two weeks ago, anyway. Padraig Harrington, who has struggled through the 2009 season after winning three majors the two previous years, finally found his game. He came within a 16th-hole snowman of beating Woods at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. And he was in the running to win the PGA Championship until another 8 ruined his final round and sealed his fate.

In those 16 strokes, Paddy went from "the guy best positioned to dethrone Tiger" to "another name for The List (as described in the first paragraph)."

But what about Rory McIlroy? He finished tied for third at Hazeltine, and not only that, he made the cut at every major this season (20th at the Masters, 10th at the U.S. Open, and 47th at the British Open). Even more impressive: he seemed unfazed by the media-frenzied spectacle that these events have become. Oh, and he's 20 years old.

Save the British, where he competed as an amateur in 2007, this was McIlroy's first time making the rounds at the majors. He appeared to take it all in stride, however. "It's been a great week and I have a lot to build on. This is only my first year in the Majors, so I learned a few things on my way and that should help me to build on them next year. Hopefully I'll get in a couple better finishes than just the top 10 or top five."

Shane Bacon identified McIlroy as one of the "winners" at the PGA, writing: "[He]seems like the kid who will win one of these majors soon enough. He doesn't let himself get down, he has the moxie to compete against anyone and now has the experience. Oh, and it appears he has the girl, too."

So, for now, it appears McIlroy is the guy to challenge Tiger. History suggests that could change on a whim (at one time Sergio possessed many of the qualities that make McIlroy so successful) and maybe it already has. After all, Y.E. Yang did pull off the unthinkable just two days ago.

Is Rory McIlroy the Next Golfer to Challenge Tiger Woods? originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geoff Ogilvy Criticizes Hazeltine Set Up

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship

You'll invariably come off as a sore loser if you pan the course set-up shortly after a 43rd-place finish, but I know what Geoff Ogilvy is saying.

The 8th-ranked player in the world, and winner of the season-opening Mercedes Championship as well as the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Ogilvy was frank in his assessment of Hazeltine's set-up.

"The last two years the rough has been bad and I don't think that's necessary," "The difficulty of your shot, in my opinion, should be (dictated by) the position it's in, not the lie it's in," he told FOXSports Australia's Andrew Both. ... I don't like how you can hit it in the same spot and one guy's got no chance and the other's perfect. ... Every player in the world comes off and says it's not the way of forwarding golf yet they keep doing it."

Ogilvy also made the point that great courses, in general, don't have thick rough surrounding the greens, which wasn't the case at Hazeltine last week. "If the green's not good enough to defend itself (without) six-inch long rough, the green's not good enough."

Tiger Woods would almost certainly agree with that contention given that he bogeyed the 71st and 72nd holes after his approach shots found the deep rough just off the greens.

All is not lost, though: Ogilvy has high hopes for the 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. "It's probably the least likely place we play that they can ruin with the set-up," he said. "As far as propagating and harvesting absurd rough, which they seem to have done the last two years in the PGA, I don't think Whistling Straits is the sort of place they're going to do that."

We'll see. In the meantime, Ogilvy's gripes about Hazeltine are a consequence of the ongoing struggle between technology and Tiger-proofing. But he's also the guy who won the 2006 U.S. Open, the major annually billed as "The Toughest Test in Golf." He knows something about overcoming six-inch rough and bad lies. And while I don't disagree that course set-ups are sometimes taken to extremes, as long as guys are launching tee shots 340 yards and hitting short irons into 500-yard par-4s, nothing's changing.

Geoff Ogilvy Criticizes Hazeltine Set Up originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PGA Championship Ratings Double From 2008, More Proof That Tiger Is Golf

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship

Tiger Woods led the first three days of the PGA Championship and halfway through the fourth. And then Y.E. Yang happened. But Yang's victory was so unexpected, so sudden, so ... not according to script, that by the time the reality of what happened washed over jaw-agaped onlookers it was too late.

In terms of ratings, anyway.

Via a Turner Sports press release, TNT saw substantial increases in viewership. Coverage for the first two rounds was up 86 percent over last year, and the weekend coverage (a three-hour block that preceded CBS' telecast) was up 67 percent over 2008.

CBS, which has had the great fortune of televising the two previous PGA Tour events prior to the PGA Championship -- both Tiger victories that also brought huge ratings -- also saw a spike in viewership for its final-round coverage. According to the New York Times' Richard Sandomir, CBS generate a 7.5 preliminary overnight rating, up 150 percent from Padraig Harrington's victory last year.

Also, Sandomir adds, it was the highest-rated Sunday at the PGA Championship since Rich Beem held off a surging Tiger to win his first and only major in 2002.

And then there's PGA.com. The web site streamed the event live, offering viewers several options (network feed, par 3s, marquee group of the day) and, via the Turner Sports presser, "delivered a total of 3.4 million video streams, including a record 2.4 million live player streams, a 204% increase from 2008."

So depending on when Tiger loses, others (namely advertisers and networks) can still win. The trick is timing; if Woods shoots himself out of a tournament early -- or worse, misses the cut -- you can forget about it. But if he's hanging around the leaderboard -- or better, leading after three rounds -- you're in for a ratings bonanza no matter the outcome.

PGA Championship Ratings Double From 2008, More Proof That Tiger Is Golf originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Range Balls: Y.E. Central

Shane Bacon — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship, Golf Odds and Ends

In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, Range Balls is our weekly link dump. Every Tuesday during golf season, we will toss out some of the most interesting things we came across. If you have a tip, e-mail us at fanhousegolf@gmail.com. Enjoy the links.

-- We knew Tiger Woods for so long as the guy that won in two ways -- he'd triumph or the other guy would fail. Joe Posnanski put together an incredible read on what happened at Hazeltine National, explaining the rising action of this year's PGA Championship like it was the perfect Freytag's Pyramid, only to have the climax be that Tiger couldn't pull it out. A must read on all accounts. [JoePosnanski.com]

-- A lot of people equated what happened to Tiger on Sunday to "Casey at the Bat." One man took it a step further, writing up his own version of the famous poem, titled, simply, "Tiger at the Tee." [ESPN]

-- Jay Busbee put together a nice list of the biggest upsets in golf history, putting the Y.E. Yang win over Tiger ahead of the famous Jack Fleck victory over Ben Hogan in the 1955 U.S. Open. Check out what others made the cut. [Devil Ball Golf]

-- As much of an individual sport as golf is, there is also a ton of gamesmanship that goes into a final round pairing in major championship. Nobody knows how to pull these strings better than Mr. Woods, but Yang had a few up his sleeve as well. Geoff Shackelford put together a list of interesting moments in the match, which make it seem like Yang and Woods weren't nearly as friendly as what you saw on television. [Geoff Shackelford]

-- And our weekly installment of "was this moment in golf the best in history?" Yang's 3-iron approach into the 18th was absolutely incredible, but was it the best we've ever seen in a major championship? The debate begins. [Wei Under Par]

-- Not a lot of time do we get the privilege of hearing about a Hall of Fame golfer's balls being clean or not, but that happens in these outtakes from a video made by UgMO. Confused? Basically, UgMO is a soil monitoring and intelligence system whose mission is to protect the world's water supply by reducing water usage. They made a video with Gary Player, and circulated these outtakes, which are definitely worth watching. Enjoy. [YouTube]

Range Balls: Y.E. Central originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Winners and Losers from PGA Week

Shane Bacon — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship

It was "glory's last shot" at Hazeltine National, and a first for modern day golf fans. Our best golfer failed to win a tournament he was leading, leaving the door open for a basic unknown. So who left Minnesota with smiles on their faces, and who will be trying to Scope that bad taste out of their mouths? Below are the winners and losers from PGA Championship week.

Winners

Y.E. Yang -- Sometimes it's best to admit when you were completely and utterly wrong. On Sunday morning, I tweeted the following -- "over/under on Y.E. Yang's score today? I'd set it at 75.5. Thoughts?" Yep, Yang surprised just about everyone at Hazeltine, being paired with the best in the world, matching him shot for shot and eventually using a gutsy 3-iron to end a round that couldn't have been finished better if you were playing Hazeltine on a video game (say, Tiger Woods 2010, perhaps?). Not only was his win historic, taking down Woods for the first time when he was leading a major championship after 54 holes, but it made an entire group of people excited about this fantastic sport.

Yang will be known as the man who defeated Tiger to us, but on the other side of the globe, he will simply be the native who won a major championship for the first time.

Golf in the Olympics -- Talk about a cherry on top for golf's push to be in the Olympics. As the week began, talk was focused on golf being added to the rotation, after the IOC recommended it for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Tiger admitted he'd play if he hadn't retired by then, and now an Asian-born player wins a first major championship. If people in China, the Koreas and Japan weren't excited about a potential showdown for a gold medal before Hazeltine, they'll sure be pumped to see it after. Yang did a lot for golf with his 2-under 70 on Sunday. More than we probably understand.

Rory McIlroy -- The 20-year-old European started the season with jumbo-sized expectations, after claiming the Dubai Desert Classic over Justin Rose. He came to the States to compete, and, unlike most young guns we see come and struggle, McIlroy had a fantastic season. Ten of 11 made cuts, including all four of the majors, a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open and now a third-place finish at the PGA after he closed with a 2-under 70 in tough conditions. On Sunday, Rory opened with a double-bogey on the first hole (a par-4 he played 5-over for the week) but bounced back with four birdies on the front nine, a sign that he doesn't get too frustrated. Of all the guys in the younger generation, McIlroy seems like the kid who will win one of these majors soon enough. He doesn't let himself get down, he has the moxie to compete against anyone and now has the experience. Oh, and it appears he has the girl, too.

Losers

Tiger Woods -- At some point on Sunday, when Tiger had finally putted out and gave his interviews and was on his way back to Florida, something probably hit him like it hit a few of us -- we're going to have to hear about this loss for the next eight months. It will be the talk of the golf world: Tiger choked! He isn't the same! Release the hounds! The bottom line is, yes, Tiger did play poorly on Sunday. I try not to toss the word "choke" around easily, because there are too many Carnoustie triples and Winged Foot doubles to be talked about, but his putter wasn't there all weekend, and when he started hitting the ball average by Tiger's standards, the flat-stick was exposed.

Maybe the most telling thing I noticed about Woods this week, especially on the weekend, was how off he was with his good shots. The 17th hole on Sunday was the best example, as Woods executed a golf shot to perfection, only to have it fly his intended target by 12 yards. When Tiger is dialed in, it always seems that those shots find a way to nestle comfortably close to the pin, and they didn't on Saturday or Sunday. Woods closed with a 74 at the British, and now a 75 at the PGA Championship. I'm not sure what to blame for any of this, or if we just check it off to this game being stupid hard, but I'm sure over the next eight months, anyone with the ability to speak will find a way to make this a Tiger-demic.

The Grand Slam of Golf -- Every year, when real golf winds down and Silly Season begins, the world is awarded the Grand Slam of Golf, a tournament that pits the four major winners against each other. Phil Mickelson might have had the greatest moment in the event, shooting a final-round 59 in 2004 that was a 10-foot eagle putt on the 18th away from a 58. If that were the high point, 2009 might be the low point. Yang joins Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink in a tournament that will be lucky to draw half as many viewers as Cink has Twitter followers.

Padraig Harrington -- Oy. Two weeks in a row, two chips from behind a green, in the rough, with water guarding, and consecutive visits to the fishes. The eight Padraig carded on the par-3 8th hole might be one of the things we remember the most from PGA Championship week, because it was that moment when the major went from a tournament to a two-man match play event. Harrington has had to answer questions about his swing all year long, but it was a short iron and a chip shot that did him in at his tournament to defend. Yes, it was fairly impressive that Paddy could hold it together to only shoot 1-over the rest of the day in, but the quintuple bogey will be hard to shake for a man that seems to be shaking his head a lot these days. Still winless in '09, you might not see a lot of Harrington the rest of the year.

Winners and Losers from PGA Week originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Y.E. Yang: Who Is the PGA Champ?

Shane Bacon — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:36:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship

As you now know, Y.E. Yang is the 2009 PGA champion after taking out Tiger Woods at the final major of the year in absolutely heroic fashion. The problem is, the everyday sports fan doesn't even know who this Yang guy is. So, here are some things you should know about your new major champion.

o. Yang is a 37-year-old South Korean native with three kids.

o. He has been a professional golfer since 1996, winning seven times on the European, Asian, Japanese, Korean and now PGA Tour. His non-major breakthrough came at the 2006 HSBC, when Yang beat out a field that included Tiger, who tied for second, two strokes behind Yang.

o. Earlier this season, Yang became a PGA Tour champion, with his win at the Honda Classic. Four rounds of par or better was good for a one-stroke victory over John Rollins.

o. A friend suggested at 19 that Yang take up golf, so he started going to a local driving range in Korea.

o. Spent required time in the South Korean military beginning at age 21, guarding Naval ports.

o. Decided he was decent enough at golf to try and make a career out of it, so he headed to New Zealand to try it out.

Y.E. Yang: Who Is the PGA Champ? originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nobody Yang Does What No One Could

Greg Couch — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:06:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

CHASKA, Minn. -- He didn't start playing golf until he was 19, and even then it wasn't on the best facilities, as golf didn't matter in South Korea. Then, he joined the Army for two years, where he was a low-level guard. And it was only after that before Y.E. Yang realized that golf had something called a touring pro.

So it's no wonder Tiger Woods didn't show him one tiny bit of respect this weekend. Truth is, Woods didn't show any golfers respect in the PGA Championship, taking a lead after two rounds and then playing ridiculously safe for two, figuring none of the tour's other players, apparently all Bozos, could ever catch him.

Truth is, the others had earned his disregard. But Yang beat him anyway.

More: Final-Round Leaderboard | Yang's Scorecard | Tiger's Scorecard
Mariotti: Yin and Yang: Woods Choked | Who Is Y.E. Yang?

Playing with Woods and, theoretically, all the crushing pressure that goes with that, Yang shot a 70 Sunday, five strokes better than Tiger for the day.

Tiger became a Kitten. Yang won the PGA Championship.

He also became the first Asian-born player to win a major. He finished off a failed year for Woods. And also, he threw a gigantic wrench into the belief system of American youth sports, which is now about turning small kids into professionals. Turns out, your kid doesn't have to have his sporting future decided by the time he's 4 years old after all.

"I sort of visualized this quite a few times," Yang, who's 37, said through an interpreter. He finished the tournament at 8-under, three strokes ahead of Woods. "Going into the final round of a major championship. I've seen a lot of players with Tiger in the final round have folded.

"I tried to visualize [over the years], tried to bring a mock strategy of how to win if I ever played against Tiger."

When it was over, Yang, who actually beat Woods once a few years ago, grabbed his golf bag with both hands, raised it over his head and pumped his arms. He walked over the bridge toward the scoring trailer, and fans underneath were chanting for him, and he raised his arms again. Yang is a wholly likable character. During the round, you would see him wave to the TV camera, as if he had never been in front of one before.

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PGA Championship Photos

CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: (L-R) Y.E. Yang of South Korea celebrates a birdie putt on the 18th green alongside Tiger Woods during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Y.E. Yang;Tiger Woods

Getty Images

Getty Images North America

DYST V3 test

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

Lucas Jackson, Reuters

Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

Don Wright, AP

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

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David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

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Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

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Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

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On the 11th fairway, as he walked past, someone yelled "Make him work for it, Yang man." He looked up, smiled, nodded.

What Yang didn't notice was that whenever a fan would cheer for him, the fan's friend standing next to him would be giggling.

Everyone just assumed that Yang would fold or, more likely, Woods would take it.

Instead, Woods didn't seem to think he needed to take anything. He didn't fearlessly fire at the flags from the fairways. That's the Tiger who has thrilled everyone. This Tiger was firing safely for the middle of the greens, sometimes even laying up on par-5s.

"When you've got 640-yard par-5s, I really can't get there," Woods said. "I don't know how aggressive I can play."

Woods finishes the year without a major title, 33 years old, after major knee surgery. In his race for Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major titles, he is stuck at 14. He'll still get there.

Don't worry.

But while Woods is the world's most famous sportsman, golf still got a huge boost in the past week in its hopes of finding new turf to conquer. The old ground is starting to dry up.

First, an Olympics committee recommended that golf be included in the Games in 2016. It is only a rubber stamp from final approval.

And now Yang sent a message to Asia: "Hopefully," he said, "all young ballplayers fill their dreams and expand their horizons a little bit."

The women's tour is filled with Korean players already, though, spurred on originally by the success of Se Ri Pak, who won the U.S. Women's Open. Why haven't Korean men arrived on tour?

Yang said it was because Korean men have to serve in the military in their 20s, interrupting their golfing prime. Also, he cited bad facilities. And the Korean women, he said, feel that they are close enough to the same physical size as the U.S. women on the LPGA Tour to compete. But on the men's side, he once said, "the physical aspect, I think they just get too scared and they don't even give themselves a chance to even come and try."

That's going to change now.

"I tried to visualize ... how to win if I ever played against Tiger."
-- Y.E. Yang While everyone kept waiting for Woods to pull ahead, or just do something, anything, Yang chipped in for eagle at the 14th hole for the lead. At No. 16, he dangerously fired right of the pin, and nearly went into the water.

Gutsy? Not exactly. Nervous. He was aiming left.

When he and Woods reached No. 18, Yang led by a stroke. And he hit his second shot, over 200 yards, from the fairway to about eight feet from the hole.

Nervous luck? No, he planned that one. And it buried Woods.

And whatever comes of this, here's to hoping the biggest thing is that American psycho sports dads take note.

"I think everybody was aware of Tiger's reputation," player Padraig Harrington said, "when he was 2."

True. And Woods' success, as a kid built for golfing greatness, led to an awful lot of drooling dads forcing their kids hopelessly onto the same path. It started a dangerous movement in American youth sport. And you might notice the disgusting site of Little League children pumped up as rock stars on national TV this week.

It worked for Woods. But by the time Yang was 22, he was thinking about being a golf instructor, or maybe into golf course construction. Then someone told him about tournaments. So that's when he started dreaming. He was in his late 20s, early 30s before he started visualizing what he might do with a chance against Woods.

And look how he did.

Nobody Yang Does What No One Could originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PGA Championship

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

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A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

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Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

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David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

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Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

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Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

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PGA Championship originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Y.E. Yang Beats Tiger Woods at PGA

Shane Bacon — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:19:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, PGA Championship

It finally happened. David took down Goliath. The little man won. Get out your sports cliche book and toss them all on the table. Tiger Woods went into a major championship final round with a two-shot lead, and lost to a man nobody outside of a small group of golf nerds had ever heard of.

Y.E. Yang, the little-known golfer who won the Honda Classic earlier this year, hit the shot of his life on the 18th hole -- after hitting the other shot of his life on the 14th hole -- to win his first major championship over a man that treats major leads like an obese man handles a salami sandwich.

He's the first Asian-born player to ever win a major, and he did it in a style that had even the most random sports fans rooting for a man they didn't even know existed on Thursday. The question people will be asking is, how did he do it?

More: Final-Round Leaderboard | Yang's Scorecard | Tiger's Scorecard

You have to look past his final round 2-under 70, which tied the lowest round of the day. You're going to hear a lot about the chip-in eagle on 14 that had, remarkably enough, a Tiger-like fist-pump accompanying it. You could focus on his scary, but impressive, second shot on 16, which landed just inches from catching the side of the green and kicking into the hazard. You'd mostly want to focus on the 3-iron hybrid he hit on the 18th, similar to that of Shaun Micheel at this very tournament in 2003.

Standing in the fairway, needing only a par to win, Yang hit a towering shot that landed just two feet in front of the pin, checked liked a short-iron, and led to only his second birdie of the day.

While we can't rave about the play of Yang loud enough, the talk will obviously turn to Tiger and how he couldn't pull out this major championship.

Golf is the hardest game in the world, and with Tiger, we forget that. It isn't supposed to be mastered. It's supposed to make people cuss and throw clubs and pull out their hair and want to quit the moment they walk off the 18th green.

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Tiger Woods wipes his face on the 15th fairway during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tiger Woods

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Tiger Woods watches his shot on the 15th fairway during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tiger Woods

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Tiger Woods walks across the bridge on the 16th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tiger Woods

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Tiger Woods looks on from the 15th fairway during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tiger Woods

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Y.E. Yang of South Korea celebrates on the 13th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Y.E. Yang

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Lee Westwood of England plays his third shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lee Westwood

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Lee Westwood of England plays his tee shot on the 17th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lee Westwood

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Steve Flesch plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Steve Flesch

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Tiger Woods reacts to his putt on the 11th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tiger Woods

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 16: Y.E. Yang of South Korea plays a bunker shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 16, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Y.E. Yang

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In 2008, Tiger Woods stood on a green, at a golf course, needing to make a putt to win a major championship on one knee. I knew he was going to make it. You knew he was going to make it. His competitor even knew it would go in.

My, how a year can change things. Sunday, standing on the 17th green, needing a par putt to place the extreme pressure on Yang -- a man never before put in a similar situation -- you had the feeling that this time, in this stage of the game, Tiger wouldn't make it. When it didn't drop, you knew that it wasn't meant to be. This was Tiger's tournament to win, but like the old saying goes, even the best fall down sometimes.

From now on, Yang will be the barometer. He will be the name that comes up whenever Tiger has a lead in a tournament or whenever a random golfer is in the hunt at a big event. He will be the David of this here game, known not for how he fell into a victory, but how he came, stones in hand, and took it from the greatest.

Tiger will always be Tiger, there is no doubt about that. Yang just made us all realize that even the man we have all thought was a machine, can in fact bleed.

Y.E. Yang Beats Tiger Woods at PGA originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiger and Yang Battle for PGA Title

Shane Bacon — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:54:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

Quick, before Sunday's round started, which player chasing Tiger Woods did you think had the best chance? Most would go with Padraig Harrington, who made a quintuple bogey on the par-3 8th hole, dropping himself from contention. It wouldn't be crazy to love Henrik Stenson, who beat Tiger at the Players Championship earlier this year. Maybe even got a little frisky and gone with Ernie Els or Vijay Singh, as long as Vijay promised to putt with his eyes closed.

The person we all forgot about was the man paired with Tiger on Sunday, and he is just the man that is Bob May-ing Tiger through nine holes at Hazeltine National.

More Coverage: Could Tiger Lose? | Live Leaderboard

Y.E. Yang, the 37-year-old South Korean winner of this year's Honda Classic has been surprisingly steady, carding one birdie, one bogey and a handful of pars to make the turn at 6-under, tied with the 14-time major championship winner.

Steady isn't exactly what you'd call Tiger's round. Out of the gates on the first hole, Woods stuffed his second shot to six feet, but didn't hit the hole with his birdie putt, settling for a disappointing par. Bogeys on four and eight have Tiger two-over for the day, and without a birdie on the front nine for the first time all week.

Tiger's struggles seem almost muted by the pickle some of the rest of the field have found themselves in. Padraig made par on his first seven holes before the eight on the par-3, which included a pulled wedge that was so far offline it almost hit his playing partner, Henrik Stenson. U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover got it to 6-under for the championship after a birdie on the fifth hole, but three bogeys has Glover looking Tiger-like frustrated.

On a day when the lowest posted score is 2-under, pars are all anyone can hope for. If Tiger can continue to string those together, and the scoreboard keeps scotting back towards par, the win will be a little easier than it could have been.

Tiger and Yang Battle for PGA Title originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Tiger Woods Actually Lose? The Answer May Be Blowing in Wind

Shane Bacon — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

It's a stat that almost seems inflated. In major championships, the toughest golf tournaments with the toughest fields in the world, Tiger Woods, the best golfer of the best in the world, is 14-for-14 when leading after 54 holes. He's never lost. Never.

More Coverage: Padraig Bounces Back | Live Leaderboard

Sunday, at the PGA Championship, Tiger is again in the lead of a major championship, two shots ahead of Y.E. Yang, Padraig Harrington, but in an interesting situation. See, Tiger has spent all season battling a golf swing that tends to get stuck behind him, forcing Tiger to speed up through contact and block his shots right. Since Woods is probably the most talented golfer ever, he can play with this swing for the most part, recovering from errant tee shots with amazing seconds from the rough and a good short game that merits all the praise it receives.

The problem, as we saw at Turnberry, is the swing struggles in wind.

When you're putting spin on a golf ball with no wind, it's playable. When the wind picks up, the ball can really get away from you. On Saturday, as my father and most of America probably thought, Tiger was expected to leave the 18th green with a six shot lead. We all figured he'd go out, fire a nice little 68 and shake the hands of his fellow losers. "Thanks for coming guy, enjoy the shrimp tartar." It's a reaction, like closing your eyes when you sneeze, that when Tiger is leading, we expect him to keep extending it. He's the only golfer to ever convince his fans that doing something like that is normal. (Note to everyone: It's not normal.)

So what happens if Tiger has a bad day? What if his ball plugs in a bunker on two or he blocks a drive right on 16 into the lake? What if a couple of putts that go in spin out and we see the disdain on his face that comes with a missed opportunity? Is it possible that Tiger Woods could, gulp, lose?

I really believe so. At some point, he's going to have to. This game cannot be beat, and Tiger has done that in these championships. The numbers and the history books and the bad swings can't be avoided by anyone, not even Mr. Woods.

If you can look past the horrible wind analogy here, this might be the perfect storm. A tough field chasing, with a guy fresh on his heels (Paddy) that is in desperate need of some redemption from a year he's excited to forget. A day when the weather isn't perfect on a course that asks for a lot of drivers.

Maybe today is the day we see Tiger fail. Like a five-footer for birdie on a sunny Sunday afternoon, two things can happen -- either it can go in or it can't. Maybe this will be Tiger's one missed putt.

(Also, we will be Tweetin' the final round all day today. You can follow me right here, and Greg Couch, right here.)

Will Tiger Woods Actually Lose? The Answer May Be Blowing in Wind originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Harrington Turns Mind Off, Game On

Greg Couch — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

CHASKA, Minn. -- Padraig Harrington is not thinking. I say that as the ultimate compliment. It might be the hardest thing for a golfer to accomplish. Or for any athlete.

But with golfers, it's like a disease. Harrington was thinking way too much, picking away at his golf swing like a scab.

He left it bleeding and infected.

Maybe I'll find a better analogy, one that's not so gross.

More Coverage: Tiger Struggles, Still Leads by Two | Leaderboard

Anyway, he was the best golfer in the world* last year. The asterisk is because Tiger Woods was out for knee surgery. Then, Harrington ruined himself by tinkering.

Now, he has managed something that's so hard. He has stopped thinking about something, about all the little corrections he was making. He's letting the swing flow.

And he's in second place, behind Woods, going into the final round of the PGA Championship Sunday. That's right, Woods was already crowned (I confess), but they might have to scratch his name off the trophy.

Anyone have a bottle of white-out?

We have finally found what we've been looking for all these years. And that's someone who has big enough, well, let's say nerve, to want to stand up to Woods.

Harrington. While most of the rest of the players had also crowned Tiger already, and are now just here at Hazeltine on a two-day paid vacation, Harrington has kept coming.

"I think the biggest issue for me is I've got to get this putter straightened out,'' he said. "I've got to get confident on the greens.''

Oops, wait a minute. Harrington didn't say that. Phil Mickelson did after falling down to about a million over par for the tournament.

We have tried so hard to give the title of rival to Mickelson. He's a perfect fit, after all. He and Tiger don't like each other. He's a lefty and Tiger's a righty. They are opposites, basically. But Mickelson, a Hall of Famer, just
doesn't have the stomach for the fight with Woods.

That's not to say Harrington will win Sunday. But everyone at the place thought that Woods had this thing won, and would turn it into a blowout Saturday.

Golfers have complained for years about the mayhem surrounding them when they play in the same group with Woods. Well, Harrington played with Woods the first two rounds, and then barely missed staying in the leader's group for Saturday.

"Hopefully,'' he said at the time, "I'll see him again on Sunday.''

He probably will be in the final group Sunday. For now, Woods is scheduled to play only with Y.E. Yang, who is tied with Harrington at 6-under. Woods is 8-under. Big rains are expected for Sunday morning, though, and if there's a delay, plans are for everyone to go in threes, meaning Woods, Yang and Harrington.

Would Harrington rather play with Woods?

"I think I would,'' he said. "It would suit me better to have that sort of match-play style. I think I will get into it and hopefully raise my game.''

See? He thinks playing with Woods will improve him. That's what we've been looking for.

You might have seen what happened last week. Harrington went against Woods in the final round at the Firestone. They fought each other brilliantly. And then in the end, Harrington fell apart.

An official warned him that he was playing too slow, put him in the clock. Harrington unraveled.

It was pathetic. So how can I say six days later that Harrington is the one guy with the guts to stand toe-to-toe with Woods? Just a hunch, really. That, and while walking along with him for hours Saturday, taking a look at his face. That nice, sort-of dense look he has off the course? Up close, on the course, you can see the fire.

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 15: Padraig Harrington of Ireland putts on the 15th hole during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 15, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Padraig Harrington

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Four boys wait for action along the 16th hole during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Brendan Jones of Australia tips his hat after sinking his putt on the third green during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Lucas Glover of the US (R) and Brendan Jones of Australia watch Glover's shot off the third tee during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark hits up the first fairway during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Lucas Glover of the US holds up his ball after sinking his putt on the second green during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Alvaro Quiros of Spain watches his putt on the third green during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Alvaro Quiros of Spain putts on the third green during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Alvaro Quiros of Spain lines up a shot on the third green during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Henrik Stenson of Sweden hits on the 18th tee during the third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Also, he sank those testing six-to-eight foot putts all day. Of course, Saturday nerve in golf is different than Sunday nerve.

When he folded last week, I thought it was another sign that he was still too much.

Wrong. He's past that. He simply had not been in the fight for a while, with all that comes with being there with Woods.

And look how fast he recovered, and wanted another shot

"Everybody wants to see a battle,'' he said. "Everybody hopes the underdog catches up. But when he catches up, ultimately, they want to the hero to win, as usual.

"That's the way all the storybooks are written.''

Uh, no they are not. Storybooks favor underdogs.

"There are a lot of people who are cheering me on, wanting me to push him along. But they still want Tiger to win.''

You should have seen the crowds Saturday. With each hole, they got a little louder for Harrington. And I think he's right that they want Woods to win. But this was appreciation for a guy willing and wanting to get back in the ring with him.

The problem is that Woods likes Harrington. What kind of rivalry is that?

With Tiger and Mickelson the more you like one of them, the more you dislike the other one.

Earlier in the tournament. Harrington hit an amazing shot, and Woods told him at the time that he would have paid to see that shot.

Harrington asked him for 50 bucks.

And Woods defended Harrington after the Firestone, risking fine by publicly ripping the official for butting in and distracting him.

So we can still have some questions about Harrington's nerves on Sunday against Woods. But maybe we should be wondering about Woods' nerves, too. He did choke at the Masters, and fold at the British this year.

I'm still going with Woods. But any more talk about Harrington will come without an asterisk.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com

Harrington Turns Mind Off, Game On originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not His Best, but Tiger Maintains Lead

Shane Bacon — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:02:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

It wasn't his A game, or B game for that matter, but Tiger Woods marched around Hazeltine National on Saturday with a four-shot cushion, knowing that he didn't need his absolute best to maintain the lead in the PGA Championship.

On Thursday and Friday, Tiger dominated the field, and the course, hitting fairways and tossing darts at flags to rounds of 67 and 70. Saturday was more of a struggle, but a chip-in birdie on the driveable par-4 14th and a multitude of pars was good enough for a two-shot lead heading into the final round.

The lead could have been extended to three, but Tiger's short birdie putt on the 18th went begging, and Woods had to settle, like so many times throughout the day, for a par. Woods is 8-under for the tournament, and will try to make it 15 of 16 in majors when leading or co-leading after 54 holes.

Tiger is leading Y.E. Yang and Padraig Harrington, who are both sitting at 6-under for the tournament. Harrington will most likely be kicking himself for missing out on the chance to play in the final round with Tiger on Sunday. The defending champion, just like on Friday, needed only a par on the closing hole to find himself with Woods, but once again slapped his ball around for a bogey, missing out joining Tiger in the final group.

The honor of playing with Tiger goes to Yang, the 37-year-old from South Korea. After being disqualified from PGA Tour Q-School in 2006, Yang got through in both '07 and '08, finally breaking out at this year's Honda Classic with his first victory in the States. That added to his one victory on the European Tour in '06, and his eight titles on the Korean, Asian and Japan Tours.

A win on Sunday would be Tiger's 15th major, just three shy of Jack Nicklaus' record 18 and keep Tiger from carding his first major-less season since 2004. He will have to take down not only Yang and Harrington, but big names like Henrik Stenson (4-under), Lucas Glover (4-under) and Ernie Els (3-under).

Majors are never supposed to be easy to win, not even for Tiger, who made it look so easy in the early portion of this decade. In 18 holes, we'll see if he can do what we've come to expect from him so many times before.

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Tiger Woods holds up his ball on the 18th hole after finishing his third round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. Wood finished at 8 under for two rounds and a two stroke lead over Padraig Harrington.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

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Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

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David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

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Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

Darryl Graham, AP

Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

Petr Josek, Reuters

Not His Best, but Tiger Maintains Lead originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moving Day at Hazeltine

Shane Bacon — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

Saturday is legendarily called "moving day," because it's the day that the leaderboard shifts to who really has a chance to win a major championship. At the PGA Championship in 2009, if history has anything to say about it, moving day will just be how many shots Tiger Woods will lead by come Sunday morning.

All throughout the third round, myself and Greg Couch will be following Tiger, Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington and everyone making a move (hello Soren Kjeldsen) through Twitter, which you can read after the jump.

The takes will be insightful at times, hilarious at others and very, very golfy. Swing by and check out the chatter. Since Tiger is eight-for-eight when leading majors after 36 holes, I think I'll stick with him as my pre-tournament choice. Just a hunch.

More Coverage: Live Leaderboard | Tiger Leads After 36

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Moving Day at Hazeltine originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intrigue? Tiger Alone Is Great Theater

Greg Couch — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:14:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

CHASKA, Minn. -- This is only good for golf. The game has depended far too much on one guy, Tiger Woods. And he hadn't looked good in majors this year, and was starting to look middle-aged, and has had several knee problems now.

Golf had no outlet valve, no alternative.

Well, so what? Woods shot a 70 Friday at the PGA Championship, and has a four stroke lead at 7-under. Basically the scoreboard looks like this:

Tiger, then the Grand Canyon, then everyone else.

More Coverage: Leaderboard | Quiros Golf's New Gimmick

"A long way to go," he said. "Thirty-six more holes."

Yeah. Right. Woods is going to win, but that was clear after Thursday's first round. He saves the year with his first major, gets back in the majors race with Jack Nicklaus, who leads 18 to 14 for now, and also fixes up golf's picture.

He rights the game, rights himself. We've been watching him curse and grumble and throw clubs at majors all year. Now, he's got the big smile again.

Just imagine Sunday when he's wearing the red shirt again and finishing off the kill.

Too much on Woods? Well, yes, golf has almost nothing else to sell. But what more do you need?

And Woods is still going to deliver for a while, deliver bigger than anyone as the world's most famous competitor.

I'm not sure Woods has turned golf into a game that will thrive without him. The game is him. When he was gone, interest dwindled. But golf can worry about that in a few years.

For now, it has the best gravy train possible. If Woods keeps pulling away and turns this into a massive blowout, as expected, just wait until Sunday. With everything decided, and no competition left, this tournament will draw massive TV ratings.

People want to see Tiger win by any margin.

"All the times I've been in this position, I've played well," he said. And I'm playing well."

Just twiddling thumbs and taking in the history till Sunday. What else is there to do?

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Fans holds Tiger Woods puppets as they wait to see Woods on the course during the second round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Richard Green of Australia hits out of a sand trap towards the 18th green during the second round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Jim Furyk of the US reacts to a shot on the 18th green during the second round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Ross Fisher of England grimaces after missing his putt on the 18th green during the second round at the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Tiger Woods of the US tees off during the second round at the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Padraig Harrington of Ireland tees off during the second round of the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Ross Fisher of England watches his ball up the fairway to the 18th green during the second round at the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Hiroyuki Fujita of Japan watches his putt on the 18th green during the second round at the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland pulls his cap over his face after missing a putt on the 18th green during the second round at the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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Tiger Woods of the US heads to the clubhouse after finishing on the 18th green during the second round at the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on August 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

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If you want to create some drama, well, deep in the recesses of possibility, there is a chance.

Woods might have some demons left. He blew the final holes of the Masters, fell apart in the first round of the U.S. Open and melted down over six holes at the British.

How does Nicklaus' majors total look different to Woods the closer he gets to it?

Defending champ Padraig Harrington, U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover, and former No. 1 Vijay Singh are among five guys who are four shots behind Woods. Everyone else might as well go home.

Harrington was the best golfer in the world last year, but his game fell apart as he tinkered with it too much, like picking at a scab.

Now, he seems ready to be good again.

Woods is 8-0 in his career when leading a major after 36 holes. Will Harrington be thinking that that must end sooner or later?

"I might as well tell myself that, anyway," he said. "In fairness to Tiger, that's never going to last forever. Maybe he'll be 60 when it's broken, but it's never going to last forever."

You should have seen this moment. The interview room was packed with reporters for Woods, and when he left, so did almost everyone else.

Except for Harrington, who was walking in at the same time. He just smiled and shrugged.

And he explained the situation best about trying to catch Woods, saying that the courses for a PGA Championship are usually set up particularly tough on the weekends, and there has been big wind here and hot sun.

The greens are drying out and actually getting crusty and bumpy each day.

"All in all, that probably is playing well into Tiger's hands," he said. "Somebody with a 4-shot lead, especially Tiger, can pick and choose his shots now for the next few days. That's why he's very comfortable. I've got to take my chances."

He took a big chance on 15 Friday. Just the second round and he already was trying to stay close enough to Woods to stay alive. From a bunker, Harrington hit a perfect 3-wood 301 yards. Big risk, big reward.

Woods, playing with Harrington, told him he would have paid to see that shot.

"So I asked him for 50 bucks, but ... " Harrington said.

Harrington said that if he can be within two strokes on the final nine holes Sunday, then "anybody can do anything" at the finish.

Presumably, anybody includes Woods. So there's a path for someone else to win, I suppose.

But the truth is, I have to keep fighting myself from talking about this tournament in the past tense.

The majors this year have been defined by the other guy winning. Big stories almost keep happening, especially with Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson, and then we get winners of Stewart Cink, Glover and Angel Cabrera.

Those three played together in a group through the first two rounds here.

"You mean the group with the spoilers?" Cink said. "Walking off the last green ... I said, 'Lucas, why don't we step back here for a second and have a ceremonial pairing?'

"He had made a bogey, so he met me with an expletive."

We're going to have a lot of ceremonial pairings these last two days.

Woods is likely to keep pulling more and more ahead.

The one-man game has its one man back, the man who creates all the stir, all the attention.

Even with everyone else on the other side of the Grand Canyon, in this case, a one-man competition is most fun.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com

Intrigue? Tiger Alone Is Great Theater originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiger Woods Leads PGA by 4 Strokes

Shane Bacon — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:49:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

Eight for eight. That is Tiger Woods' record at majors when he has the lead through 36 holes. Perfect. Interesting that that's the word that comes to mind.

If not for a bogey on Tiger's final hole from the middle of the fairway, Tiger's second round, in the windy conditions he played, would have been nearly perfect. Because of the bogey, Tiger had to settle with a 2-under 70 on Friday to sit at 7-under, four shots clear of the field.

A friend of mine commented on Twitter that he believed 99 percent of all tweets about the PGA championship included the words "Tiger" and "it's over" and, sadly (from a competitive standpoint), he's right. Nobody thinks that someone can come back when Tiger has this much of a lead. The way he's hitting the ball, and controlling his irons, a loss would be as legendary as his Tiger Slam from earlier in the decade.

Tiger's round got off to a bumpy start, mostly due to a bogey on the first and a failed birdie attempt at the par-5 third hole. The world's No. 1 found his groove not long after that, making birdies on six and seven. A bogey on the 10th was followed up by birdies on 14, 15 and 16, giving Tiger a little breathing room come the weekend.

Names like Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington and Lucas Glover highlight a group at 3-under that will be chasing Mr. Woods. Tiger gets paired with Vijay on Saturday, something that seems a bit odd considering the year Singh has had. Only three top-10s, no wins and a lot of head scratching comes from the defending FedEx Cup champion.

Nonetheless, they will be chasing the best front-runner in the history of the game on a par-72 golf course. He has won 10 of 21 majors when the par has been that number. If anyone behind Woods can find solace in anything, it's this -- in his 14 majors, Tiger has broke 70 in the second round every single time. Today's 70 would be the first time he couldn't do that on a Friday.

When you're desperate, these are the stats you look at. Good luck, field. Tiger looks like the guy we've been waiting for in majors all year long.

Tiger Woods Leads PGA by 4 Strokes originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alvaro Quiros Is Golf's New Gimmick

Greg Couch — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:16:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

CHASKA, Minn. -- It's amazing how fast you can become a cult figure. On Wednesday, Alvaro Quiros was nobody. On Thursday, Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and Rich Beem were on the 11th green at the PGA Championship, a 606-yard hole, uphill, that happened to be into the wind.

And while they stood there, a ball rolled up onto the green.

Quiros' ball. He had reached the green in 2, not thinking he could get there even though he took a driver to his ball in the fairway.

"I was trying to finish the ball on the fringe, and sadly, probably the ball bounced more than we were calculating and we finished on the green,'' Quiros said. "But I apologized to them.''

Woods told him this: "Nothing to apologize for. Just stupid long, though.''

In golf terms, that's a nice thing to say, like "just ridiculously long.''

And just like that, Quiros was a cult figure. It created a buzz around Hazeltine, not only with the fans, but also with the players.

"We were like Holy .... '' Beem said.

"That's got to be two of the biggest hits ever in golf,'' Harrington said.

Quiros is the newest young long-bomber in golf. He was already doing it on the European Tour, but it takes a moment like this for it to sink in.

So now Quiros is the latest thing to marvel over, the latest gimmick.

That's right, gimmick. Somehow, these big bombers take a bad rap, as if they really aren't golfers, but instead street hustlers performing some sort of card trick.

Golf has an odd relationship with length, and I think it has something to do with the beer-bellied boys who play only on weekends, not the pros. The longer the better, but that's considered more about boys being boys, machismo and stuff like that than about golfing skill.

Meanwhile, Hazeltine is set up at 7,674 yards, the longest major in history, as the PGA decided to join in on the macho thing. It's a perfect mix for Quiros, the perfect time for his emergence.

"Length has always been a wonderful asset to have,'' Colin Montgomerie said. "I played with Alvaro Quiros (on Tuesday) and a terrific advantage he has.

"So does Andy Roddick serving at Wimbledon, a terrific advantage. That doesn't mean we are taking it away. We are not making the tennis court any smaller or bigger. He just has an advantage. Hitting the ball a long way is an advantage in the golf game, and all the credit to the people who have found a way of hitting it farther.''

See, in golf and tennis, like no other sports, somehow some of these guys are looked-down on for having the big power, as if it's not an actual skill to be perfected.

Well, Quiros is 26 and from Spain. He's 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and he played in the other three majors this year, failing to survive the cut in each one.

He needs work on his short game, but actually pulled into a tie for lead with Woods Friday for a while. He spent the day on the leaderboard.

He's going to make the cut here.

He said that he grew up playing golf with adults, and never realized he was hitting farther than someone his age should have been.

Sergio Garcia said that if Quiros could figure out how to hit straight, he will be golf's next star.

Is he the biggest hitter in the world? Yes.

Sorry Bubba Watson fans.

"I've never played with him,'' Watson said. "But everyone tells me he hits it farther that I do.''

Watson said that long-hitting is a natural thing, like Michael Jordan somehow having the ability to jump high. I'm not sure, but I think Watson just put down big hitters, too, saying it's not something you work to do.

"Some people hit long, some people hit straight,'' he said "I hit long. I would rather hit straight.''

Sorry Bubba, but Quiros is now The Man.

"To hit it that far into the wind if phenomenal,'' Woods said, still talking about No. 11 on Thursday. "It's just absolutely phenomenal. I used to be able to move the ball. Not anymore.

"I just plod my way around, shoot 67.''

OK, maybe Woods is The Man. But Quiros is The Gimmick.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com

Alvaro Quiros Is Golf's New Gimmick originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mickelson in Danger of Missing Cut

Shane Bacon — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:51:00 EST

Filed under: PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson wants wind. He wants lots and lots of wind at Hazeltine National, and he wants it right now. The reason? If the wind doesn't blow for Friday's afternoon groupings, Phil is dangerously close to missing his first cut at a PGA Championship since 1995.

Mickelson's chance at making the weekend was in serious jeopardy late in his second round, as Phil sat at 6-over, with the cut line currently (2:43 PM ET) looking like it will land at 2-over par. That was, until Lefty stuck his second shot on the par-5 7th to seven feet, rolling in the eagle putt to get back to 4-over.

More Coverage: Live Leaderboard | Another Lowlight for Daly | Tweetin' Tiger

The eagle helped Phil card his second consecutive 74, and with the wind gusting this afternoon, the cut could move to 4-over.

Mickelson's second round included four bogeys, one double-bogey, two birdies and the closing eagle. A chance to possibly add another birdie on his final two holes, Phil couldn't get anything close enough, and is now going to be the victim of waiting and hoping.

Mickelson's summer has been a tough one, after finding out both wife Amy and mother Mary were diagnosed with breast cancer. His return to the game was highlighted by a fantastic run at the U.S. Open, only to come up just short of Lucas Glover for his fifth second-place finish in our country's national championship.

Phil has only missed two major cuts this decade.

Mickelson in Danger of Missing Cut originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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