Now that the Korean, Y.E. Yang, beat Tiger Woods for the PGA Championship held this past weekend at Hazeltine in Chaska, MN., they are beginning to call him the 'Tiger Killer'. He really accomplished something that nobody else has been able to do, namely come from behind and overtake Tiger Woods, the number 1 player in the world, in the last round of a major tournament that Tiger had lead for the first three rounds. His own father, Yang Han-joon, had begged him not to become a golfer, saying that "Golf was for rich people", and he was only the son of vegetable farmers. Growing up in Korea, Y.E. Yang had played several sports: baseball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball, but didn't play golf, considered to be a sport of the elite, with greens fees costing several hundred dollars per round. At 37, Yang, who was in the PGA Tour qualifying school just nine months ago, became the first Asian-born man to capture a major title with a series of spectacular shots on the back nine on Sunday afternoon. Even more memorable was the fact that it was the first time anyone had defeated Woods in a major tournament after he had been atop the leaderboard going into the final round. This stuff just wasn't supposed to happen! But it did. And the guy who did it was ranked # 110 in the world. Yang , married with three sons, has earned more than $ 3.2 million dollars on the tour, including $ 1.35 million for the PGA Championship. His golf coach, Kim Won-jun, said his nerves of steel set him apart from other golfers. "I personally know Yang well, and what distinguishes him from other players is his emotional stability", he said. "He is in total control during the game, so when he has the chance, he's able to immediately seize it". Unlike other players, Yang is not intimidated by Woods. "Yang is not fazed by all the media...and the size of the gallery that follows Tiger. That's what really gets into other players' heads," said Shane Hahm who covers sports for Seoul radio station, TBS eFM. "It's a great, great day for Asian golf,", Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han said. "Probably our biggest day. It's always been our hope that we'll see an Asian player win a major, and that day is here." South Korean women now dominate the LPGA Tour, with eight players together winning a combined 11 majors, but the men have been slower to succeed with Yang and K.J. Choi being the only PGA Tour players who learned the game in South Korea before heading to the United States. Yang is legendary for his tremendous work ethic. While working at a country club in his homeland, he is known for arriving as early as 5 am to practice before the range even opened, and then returning to hit more balls after closing time, stringing up his own lights, after dark. Now, he's earned a brand, new name for himself, 'Tiger Killer'. By: Frank Bilotta
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