Yang eyes US Tour after strong Masters finish

Korea's Yang Yong-eun hopes to compete full-time in America after wrapping up a successful Masters debut with his week's best of two-over-par 74 on Sunday.

Yang, famous for beating Tiger Woods in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai last year, ended his campaign at Augusta National on 13-over-par 301 total, which placed him in a commendable 30th place in the year's opening Major.

He struggled with an outward 39 with five bogeys against two birdies before enjoying an inward 35 which saw him walk off the 18th green with a big smile on his face.

"It was a little cold on the front nine and I dropped some bogeys. The pins were also very tough today but I said to myself that on the back nine, I could get a few strokes back and I'm glad I did," said Yang.

He also found great satisfaction with a birdie on 10, where he had dropped two double bogeys during a demanding week of golf. After splitting the fairway, he nailed a seven iron to 10 feet and converted the putt.

"It was a good experience this week. Playing with the top players will give me the experience to compete with them. It'll be good for my golf in the future and I will learn from this," said Yang, who has two Asian Tour wins and five in Japan.

The 35-year-old will stay in America next week for a US PGA Tour event but ultimately hopes to join compatriots K.J. Choi and Charlie Wi, both Asian Tour products, on a full-time basis. Yang also intends to return to the Masters next year and knows that the best route is to stay inside the world's top-50 where he is presently ranked 49th.

"My world ranking has slipped down a bit. I want to try and recover my position and next week is an important week. My goal will be to make the cut and get some world rankings point. I also want to try to get into the Players Championship and US Open as well but I need to retain my top-50 status," said Yang.

"Augusta National suits my game. I'm used to bent grass and I'm looking forward to coming back here in the future. Hopefully this experience will give me what I need to play well over here," said Yang.

Choi, who finished tied 27th at the Masters with a closing 76, believes Yang has the game to succeed in America. "He has a strong mind," said Choi, a four-time winner on the US PGA Tour. "He chips and putts well but he needs to hit the ball higher over here. This week, there was rough and there were not many birdie chances.

"In other events, if you miss a shot, you don't have a chance to hit the green," said Choi.

He is also willing to take Yang under his wing, very much as he has done at this week's Masters by playing regular practice rounds together. "We'll play practice rounds and I'll show him some shots," said Choi.

April 8, 2007

Bookmark page with: