Message for Y.E. Yang:
What’s Korean for 14-for-14?
CHASKA, Minn. – How do you say “14-for-14” in Korean? Maybe that’s all Y.E. Yang didn’t know about Tiger Woods. After all, Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods in any language, and Y.E. was as familiar as anyone with what that means in golf.
But 14-for-14? Y.E.’s caddie, AJ Montecinos was no help. AJ is from San Antonio, and all he can say in Korean is, “I’m hungry.” And about all that Y.E. can say in English is, “Front edgie?”
So as some challengers either faded away in the final round of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine Sunday (see Padraig Harrington, 8 at No. 8) or others couldn’t get up any steam (see just about everyone else), there was the 37-year-old Korean with practically no name outside Asia facing Tiger Woods for the title. Yes, he knew about Tiger Woods. What he didn’t know is that Woods was leading 14 times through the third round in majors, and won 14 times. In other words, invincible in the fourth round.
Y.E. doesn’t know “invincible,” either.
And so in a remarkable display of guts and golf Sunday, Y.E. spotted Woods a two-shot lead to start the final round, passed him at the 14th with a stunning eagle against a birdie, and went on to finish with a 2-under-par 70 and beat him by three.
“You never know in life,” Y.E. said through an interpreter. “This might be my last win as a golfer, but it sure is a great day.”
Y.E. is a 37-year-old from Jeju-do, who has won in Korea and Japan, and on the European Tour, and who stunned everyone by winning the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour in March, the first Korean to win in the U.S. since K.J. Choi. But this didn’t seem to be his time or anybody else’s time.
And Woods was anything but invincible in that final round, and especially coming down the stretch. He bogeyed twice on the front, birdied twice on the back, but bogeyed three times, including – remarkably -- the 17th and 18th, and shot 75.
Closing was always Woods’ strong suit. Holding off challengers with ease. Calming winds, smoothing the rough, willing the ball into the hole. But this time he was muffing chip shots and putting like a stranger.
“I played well enough to win,” Woods insisted, “but I didn’t putt well enough to win.”
They were tied coming to the short par-4 14th, Hazeltine’s sucker hole, the one that tempts guys to try to drive the green. A guy could hit the lottery there. Maybe not.
It was playing at 313 yards this time. Y.E. missed the green and was in the rough to the right, about pin-high. Woods also missed, catching the bunker. Woods blasted out to about 8 feet. He lulls himself to sleep making 8-footers he needs. Y.E. could concede that one. Woods marked his ball and stood aside. Y.E was next to play, out of the heavy grass.
“He goes up to survey it,” AJ said, “and he says ’52,’ and that’s our 52-degree wedge, and I handed it to him and that’s exactly what I’m thinking, too. Next thing you know, it’s in the hole.”
Tiger Woods is the one who fires the dagger into the heart. This time, he felt one. But he firmed himself and holed that birdie putt.
The eagle put Y.E. into the lead for the first time, and to stay.
Woods still had a chance. After they matched bogeys at the 17th, Y.E. was one up coming to the 18th..
Y.E. put his tee shot on the first cut of rough on the left and hit a hybrid to the green, and nearly hit the pin. His ball stopped about 12 feet away. Woods hit the fairway, but misses with his second, going into the thick collar about 15 feet from the pin. He makes this. Like that floating flop shot at the 14th at the Memorial that time. But this time, he smacked the ball 6 feet past.
Y.E. stepped up needing two putts for a par and the win. But he holed the putt for a birdie.
Woods then two-putted for another bogey.
But there was that moment at the 18th, when Woods was about to chip out of the rough, the shot he makes with such dramatic finality. Y.E. was watching.
“I think only Tiger chipping,” Y.E. said. “Miss the chipping, and thinking, ‘Just please.’ ”
He didn’t need an interpreter for that one.
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