Y.E Yang Strikes a Blow For Asian Golf…Watch Out!
What a great USPGA Championship it was this year. The only regret is that there was not a few more involved coming into the final few holes. Y.E Yang was hugely impressive as he held off Tiger to win and when you consider he hit the fairway on the 16th and 18th as well as all three greens on the 16th, 17th and 18th, it was clear he was not one bit phased.
Woods on the other hand was unusually subdued. He hit some lovely iron shots but the putter was stone cold, a rarity for him in a major championship. Many people are pointing to his poor putting on Sunday for the reason he lost but I disagree. For me, Woods relinquished his dominant status on Saturday. With a comfortable lead, Woods played conservative golf on Saturday and allowed competitors like Yang and Harrington the opportunity to take advantage on what is typically known as “moving day”. The Woods of old would have extended, not relinquished that lead. However, it is becoming more apparent that the great one is human after all, as he chases down Nicklaus record. Woods would have been somewhat anxious to win his 1st major of the year and on this occasion, he was not up to the task and it is not unreasonable to suggest that Woods perhaps got nervous and more to the point, he looked under more pressure than the cool, unflappable Yang. When you consider Woods was 1 shot behind with 4 holes to go and failed to birdie the par 5 15th and then never gave himself a realistic birdie opportunity on the 16th, 17th or 18th, it doesn’t sound like the Woods of old. In saying that, he is still the best in the world and more majors lie in store. It just seems now like people won’t be rolling over and conceding anymore so Woods will have to produce his best in every major going forward.
Disappointingly, Woods etiquette was bang out of order AGAIN, on the golf course. When he missed his par putt on the 17th, he immediately muttered F**K. A few seconds later as he approached the ball, he again exclaimed F**K and again it was there for all to hear. Finally, as he walked away from the green, he covered his mouth with his arm and again shouted F**K. Now I play golf and I am not immune to the odd curse etc on the golf course. However, he is Tiger Woods and he is a global role model for all kids. It is not very often you hear professional golfers cursing on the course and that is the way it should stay. It is completely inexplicable if Woods does not get disciplined for his verbal misuse but then again, the PGA Tour officials, in my opinion, will balk once again at the opportunity to impose a fine on him. Their inaction is cowardly, as is the failure of TV commentators to criticise the great one when he engages in such behavior.
Even more disappointingly for me, was Padraig Harrington’s 8 on the par three 8th. It was the second week in a row Harrington threw away a competition with an 8 and it will take all his resolve to come back from this one. It will be difficult but I think Harrington is made of sterner stuff. His swing changes look to be taking shape and he drove the ball as well as I have ever seen over the past few weeks. For Padraig, I feel it is imperative now that he just has a consistent end to the season and is in the right frame of mind for next season. Plenty of work for Mr Bob Rotella no doubt!
Lee Westwood continues to perform well in the majors and surely, surely, he can win a major sooner rather than later. His ball striking is as good as it gets right now and he just needs to work on the scrambling department in my view. If he can improve his short game a little, he will find himself shaving an extra couple of shots off his score. Rory McIlroy is another who will be pleased with his performance and it appears, like he is ready to take the golfing world by storm. The only concern is his putting which looks extremely ordinary. He never looks confident over the 4-8ft putts and there is shades of Garcia beginning to emerge. For me though, McIlroy is fundamentally more sound and will realise his talent going forward.
So that’s it, all four majors are now finished and it must be said that Y.E Yang’s performance eclipses them all. At one stage he was +5 for the USPGA but finished -8. That is quite incredible. His shot into 16 did not get the credit it deserved. It was a marvellous shot and Ewan Murray, who said it was pulled a little….shame on you! If that had been Woods, we would have had 5 minutes of what a masterful shot it was. His eagle chip on the 14th was also memorable but for me, the shot of the Championship and the shot of the golfing season so far, was his second into the 18th. With a rescue club in his hands and over 200 yards out, Yang hit the most beautiful shot into 12ft. Any miss-hit would have opened the door for Woods to force a playoff but Yang was mentally too strong and swinging great. The South Koreans win could now mark the beginning of Asian golfers winning globally. We have seen it on the women’s tour and I’ve always maintained we would see frequent Asian golf winners on the men’s tour at some point. Perhaps now is their time. Congrats once again to Y.E Yang!
