South Korea’s Y.E. Yang became the first Asian golfer to capture a men’s major title, firing a two-under par 70 on Sunday to record a stunning upset of Tiger Woods and win the 91st PGA Championship.

The 37-year-old posted one of the biggest upsets in major golf history, defeating Woods by three strokes and snapping the world number one’s perfect 14-0 record when leading a major tournament after 54 holes.

The 110th-ranked Asian dynamo went into the final round a heavy underdog as he had only one US PGA victory to 70 career wins and 14 major championships for Woods.

“It will be a bit of a crazy party tonight,” Yang said. “I knew the odds were against me. I tried to be the least nervous I have ever been and went for broke.”

Yang, who didn’t take up golf until age 19, won by three strokes and spoiled Woods bid to win the PGA for a record-tying fifth time. Yang finished 72 holes on eight-under par 280.

Woods, who went into the day with a two-shot lead, shot a three-over 75.

England’s Lee Westwood and rising star Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tied for third, five shots back of Yang and one ahead of US Open winner Lucas Glover.

Australia’s Brendan Jones folded down the stretch to shoot 77 and finish tied with countryman Robert Allenby at three-over.

Yang, who earned $US1.35 million ($A1.63 million) in prize money, clinched the win with a six-foot birdie putt on 18 at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

He set the stage with a brilliant 202-yard approach shot that sailed over a tree and rolled onto the green.

Yang not only becomes the first Asian to win a major. he also bettered the previous best performance by a South Korean. His compatriot K.J. Choi was third in the 2004 Masters tournament.

The win beats the top prior major performances by an Asian of Taiwan’s Huan Lu-Liang, who finished runner-up in the 1971 British Open, and Japan’s Isao Aoki, who placed second in the 1980 US Open.

China’s Chen Tze-Chung tied for second at the 1985 US Open.

Yang’s round included 13 pars, two birdies, two bogeys and an eagle.

Woods was seeking his first major win of the season after missing the cut in the British Open.

He did not play in last year’s PGA because he was recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

There is a long list of challengers and would-be major champions who have wilted under Woods’s final-round glare but Yang would not go away.

Yang took the lead for the first time with an eagle on the par-four 14 to reach minus-eight.

Yang made a long chip in from for eagle and Woods answered by rolling in a 12-foot putt for birdie to stay one back of Yang.

Woods parred the first three holes before making bogey for the second straight day on the par-3 fourth hole and then doing it again on No. 8.

Woods three putted No. 4, missing a routine four footer to the right side of the hole.

Woods finished with five bogeys and just two birdies.

The first ladies golf club at Westward Ho was formed in 1868. The ladies had their own 9 hole course separated from the men, and their own professional, who was only allowed to teach them. A lady could not show an ankle, and wore full decorative dresses.
On windy days the long skirt could make it difficult to see the ball, so an elastic garter was worn at the waist, which was slipped down to above knee level to stop the skirt from rising in the wind.
Later golfing shirts had nipped in waist, leg of mutton sleeves and boater hats. Shirt and tie was essential in most clubs.
Australian women golfers changed all this in 1931.
In a competition in Townsville, Queensland some of the players were so hot, they decided to take off their stockings. Utterly disgusted they were disqualified from the competition. No bare legs allowed.
The same year the NSW Ladies Golf Union ruled that Miss Odette Le Febvre, could not play in the state championships in bare legs. Three thousand spectators watched Miss Le Febvre 21 beat Joan Hammond 19 in the final. The Sydney Mail said it was quite impossible, with her shiny brown legs, to tell whether Odette had stockings on or not.
Golf had a condescending attitude to women and fashion in Australia since its inception. Women could not be full members of clubs, only “associate”, yet many were already playing as much as the men.
Something was about to change. Women everywhere could feel it in the wind; they called the wind the 60’s.
Dianna Thomas and Jan Stephenson shocked the golfing world by wearing the briefest mini-skirts in the late 60’s.
Jan Stephenson was reprimanded by officials of the Ladies Golf Union for wearing psychedelic panties under her tiny skirt. She was omitted by the L.G.U. to play for Australia against Spain, after she wrote an article criticising them. So she turned professional in 1972 going on to prove herself as Australia’s greatest ever woman golfer at this point. She won three big events in 1981, to jump from 34th to 5th in the L.P.G.A. pocketing US $180,528. Voted the best putter by fellow players, Jan courted controversy wherever she went.
In 1982 she was on the front page of every major paper in the world in a scandal where two men were claiming to be her husband. Jan had sought to annul her two-month marriage to Larry Kolb, her manager. He tried to have her committed and then gained a court order to freeze her assets. He claimed the other man Eddie Vossler had used hypnotic techniques on Miss Stephenson, similar to those used by Charles Manson and the Moonies.
A Fort Worth judge ruled than Jan, surrounded by bodyguards, couldn’t be married to Kolb, because under Texas law, she was already the common law wife of Vossler.
Throughout this she led throughout to win the $200.000 U.S.L.P.G.A. championships by 2 strokes. She was the most photographed sportswoman for years, and went on to manipulate the media for super model sums in a very successful post golf career.
Australian women golfers have always been bold individuals, and had to beat a lot attitude to get where they are today. That’s why we love you.

Annika Sorenstam

I love to play golf now,the problem that I have though is I can get around any course ok,just like the normal weekend hacker,and always with a smile on my face,but I have been pretty frustrated of late with my golf swing.

I played golf a few weeks back with a whole team of local guy’s from The Surflifesaving Club up at a great place called The Blue Mountains,which is a beautiful part of the world and quite a famous place,just a couple of hours drive from Sydney,Australia.We have an annual tournament up there called “The Dave Dixon” King of the Mountain Golf Tournament, to which I personally sponsor so that my father’s good name always lives on.My father used to go on the trip every year up until his untimely death for about 30 odd years,never missed a year.Sometime’s though they couldn’t play because it snowed when they were there.
Now my problem is that I can hit a ball very straight most of the time when I connect with the golf ball and the club as you are supposed to do,but my golf swing isn’t a full golf swing,meaning that I don’t hit the ball to my full potential and power,so guy’s all around me are out hitting me pretty much all of the time,and it is a shame because I hit the ball alot straighter than most of the golf players that I play with,but there is no distance and it was starting to frustrate me,and that is something that shouldn’t plague any golfer,for when you’re frustrated with anything,you tend not to enjoy it as much,so I decided to do something about my problem and invested a small outlay online and bought the Bobby Eldridge PurePoint Golf online eBook the GOLF SWING BOOK and I tell you what,I have been hitting the ball so much easier and further than I ever have,the distance I am hitting the golf ball now is really alarming as this golf swing technique really does work,so much so that my best friend Archie has purchased the Golf Swing Book also and he has been working with the simple step by step programme for about 8 days now and his balance,which was always a problem for him,has all but gone.

I am convinced that anyone out there that has niggling little problems in your golf game,will overcome them with this fantastic,simple technique.

I received a bonus too with my GOLF SWING BOOK.With the eBook you also receive a FREE Membership with Bobby Eldridge in his Apprentice Program which is designed to show you step by step on how to become the golfer you always wanted to be.
So do yourself a favour and give the Bobby Eldridge technique PurePoint Golf presents “GOLF SWING BOOK” a try and maybe one day,Archie and I will see you on the golf course with a big smile on your face,because you are now hitting that golf ball,sweeter and further than ever before.
so to all golfer’s out there who decide to utilise the GOLF SWING BOOK please let me know how you go,as I would really be interested to find out if it worked for you as good as it worked for me.just email me through this article.
Good Luck,Straight Putts and Good Golfing to you all.