When the final book on Tiger Woods is written, these two names will need to be highlighted: Ed Fiori, Y.E. Yang.
Not Sergio Garcia. Not Phil Mickelson. Not Ernie Els. At least not yet.
Fiori came from behind to beat Woods on the final day of the 1996 Quad City Classic, and Yang did the unthinkable Sunday, overtaking Woods in the final round of a major, the PGA Championship.
Wearing all white, the ghost-like figure shot a 2-under 70 to become the first player from Asia to win a men’s major and the first to beat Woods after he had a 54-hole lead in a major. Woods had been 14-for-14 as a closer in majors.
Consider this: Yang started the day as a 20-to-1 underdog, according to an online sports wagering site. Woods was a 2-to-9 favorite, roughly the same as Secretariat in his prime against your pet cocker spaniel.
“You never know in life,” Yang said through interpreter Ryan Park.
No, you don’t. Woods led or was tied atop the leaderboard until the 14th hole, a drivable par 4 of 301 yards. Yang knocked in his eagle chip from about 80 feet to take the lead.
He never relinquished it. Woods put himself in position to make birdies at Hazeltine National but couldn’t buy one on the greens.
He spent much of the round muttering to himself in frustration. He had only three one-putts.
“I made absolutely nothing,” he said. “I had a terrible day on the greens. … I hit the ball great off the tee, hit my irons well. I did everything I needed to do except get the ball in the hole.”
Woods made only two birdies in a 3-over 75. He didn’t crack a smile until he graciously congratulated Yang on the 18th green.
“Y.E. hit it great all day,” Woods said. “It was a fun battle.”
The tournament was still in doubt until Yang’s hybrid approach on 18. With 210 yards to the pin from the first cut of rough, he fired at the flag, and his ball settled 8 feet from the cup.
Woods, trailing by one, could have chipped in for a birdie that would have forced Yang to make his putt.
Yang, 37, from South Korea, doesn’t speak much English. But despite a limited vocabulary, his politeness comes across.
Asked in English to describe his emotions at that moment, he replied: “I think, Tiger, miss the chip-in please.”
Maybe even pretty please.
Woods did miss, and Yang knocked home the birdie for an eventual three-shot victory.
“He’s a world-class player and he had nothing to lose,” said his caddie, A.J. Montecinos. “He said, I’m not nervous.”
Montecinos, 35, who played for coach Eddie Payton at Jackson State and first caddied for Yang at qualifying school in 2007, said his boss is a delight.
“He’s very low-key and easy to get to know,” Montecinos said. “When the general public gets to know him, they will fall in love with him. He’s got a heart as big as this place.”
Yang didn’t take up the game in earnest until he was 19. Since 2002, he has won in Korea, Japan and China and claimed his first PGA Tour title in March at the Honda Classic.
And now the man who entered the PGA Championship ranked 110th in the world is a major winner.
“It just means the world right now,” Yang said through his interpreter. “It hasn’t really sunk in, but I do know the significance of it.”
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A major stunner
Until Sunday, Tiger Woods had not lost a major when leading through 54 holes, his playing partner had broken par just three times and outshot him twice. %% EVENT WOODS THRU 54 PARTNER SCORE MARGIN
’97 Masters 69 (-3) Led by 9 Cos. Rocca 75 (+3) Wins by 12
’99 PGA 72 (E) Tied Mike Weir 80 (+8) Wins by 1
’00 U.S. Open 67 (-4) Led by 10 Ernie Els 72 (+1) Wins by 15
’00 British 69 (-3) Led by 6 David Duval 75 (+3) Wins by 8
’00 PGA 67 (-5) Led by 1 Bob May 66 (-6) Wins in playoff
’01 Masters 68 (-4) Led by 1 Phil Mickelson 70 (-2) Wins by 2
’02 Masters 71 (-1) Tied Retief Goosen 74 (+2) Wins by 12
’02 U.S. Open 72 (E) Led by 4 Sergio Garcia 74 (+2) Wins by 3
’05 Masters 71 (-1) Led by 3 Chris DiMarco 68 (-4) Wins in playoff
’05 British 70 (-2) Led by 2 J.M. Olazabal 74 (+2) Wins by 5
’06 British 67 (-5) Led by 1 Sergio Garcia 73 (+1) Wins by 2
’06 PGA 68 (-4) Tied Luke Donald 74 (+2) Wins by 5
’07 PGA 69 (-1) Led by 3 Stephen Ames 76 (+6) Wins by 2
’08 U.S. Open 73 (+2) Led by 1 Lee Westwood 73 (+2) Wins in playoff
’09 PGA 75 (+3) Led by 2 Y.E. Yang 70 (-2) Loses by 3 %% ———
tgreestein@tribune.com
