Yang's win does not surprise Woods

Asia's extended winning run on the international stage has not surprised world number one Tiger Woods.

The American was beaten to second place by Korea's Yang Yong-eun in the star-studded HSBC Champions here on Sunday. It marked a third significant victory by the region's top stars following Jeev Milkha Singh's triumph in the Volvo Masters in Spain and Choi Kyung-ju's success at the Chrysler Champions in the United States last month.

"Golf has changed, it's evolved," said Woods, whose run of sixth successive victories came to a halt. "It has become more in depth now, you look at each and every field now, guys can win. That wasn't the case 15, 20 years ago but now that's changed. Guys are better mentally, equipment certainly helps and guys are bigger and stronger and hit the ball further."

Yang secured his biggest career victory at the US$5 million event, beating an elite field that included 10 of the world's top-20 players and picked up a cheque of US$833,330. Unknown to golfing world outside of Asia, Yang has won once on the Asian Tour, the Kolon Hana Bank Korean Open in September, and four other titles in Japan where he now plays most of his golf.

Up till yesterday, Woods admitted he didn't know anything about Yang. "All three of us are talking going up the last hole, we didn't know anything about him," said the American, who played with Sweden's Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson in the final round.

The 12-time Major champion was also impressed with Singh, the current leader of the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit, whom he played two rounds with in Shanghai. He also played with another Indian, Jyoti Randhawa in the third round.

"I was giving some grief to Jeev … I saw Arjun back home the other day when I was home practising and he's on his new workout regime trying to hit the ball longer and all that kind of stuff. Indian golf is growing and getting deeper, and those guys, you can see how talented they really are," he said.

Yang's triumph will see him enter the world's top-40 which comes with a US Masters invitation. The Korean will also be looking for more battles against the likes of Woods on the US PGA Tour as he will take a shot at the Qualifying School Finals later this month.

The strapping Korean is following closely in Choi's footsteps. Both players cut their professional teeth on the Asian and Japan Tours, with Choi eventually landing on the US PGA Tour where he is now a four-time winner.

Yang said: "When K.J. won in the US, I felt that Korean players and Asian players would eventually follow in his footsteps and I thought to myself, you know, I think we Koreans and Asians have a chance to win in the world. That's why I started out playing on the Asian Tour and I went on to play on the Japanese Tour. My eventual goal is to go to the US Tour just like K.J. I think K.J. has set a good example and I want to follow in his footsteps."

Although Yang's ultimate goal is the US PGA Tour, the Korean immediately took up his European Tour membership where he will be exempted until 2009 and presently sits proudly on top of the 2007 Order of Merit as the HSBC Champions was the season-opening event.

His management company will also be planning a new playing schedule for their newest global star and amongst the stops would be a first appearance at the US Masters at Augusta National next April.

Yang is looking forward at having more cracks at the Majors. "As far as Asians winning major tournaments in the future, I think that's a very realistic possibility. I think that any player who gives 100 per cent and tries their best, has a good chance of winning a major in the near future," said Yang.

November 13, 2006

Bookmark page with:

Return to Top of Page