Yang chases down Woods to win PGA Championship

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By Barker Davis

CHASKA, Minn. — Tiger Woods finally met his match at a major.

Y.E. Yang became an unlikely pioneer Sunday, notching a pair of shocking firsts with his three-stroke triumph over Woods at the 91st PGA Championship.

Shattering a pair of major barriers at Hazeltine, the 37-year-old Korean became both the first Asian to win a major championship and the first player to chase down Woods on a Slam Sunday.

Yang joined the PGA Tour last year and collected his first victory on the circuit at the Honda Classic earlier this season.

Woods had been 14-0 when holding a lead after 54 holes at a major, and he entered the day at 8-under with a two-stroke lead over Yang and Ireland's Padraig Harrington. But after Harrington imploded with a quintuple bogey on the par-3 eighth, only Woods and Yang were left to battle for the Wanamaker Trophy.

Both made the turn at 6-under, three clear of the rest of the field. But Yang wrested the lead from Woods for the first time all week at the driveable par-4, 14th, holing a 50-yard chip for eagle from just above a short, greenside bunker to momentarily pull two strokes clear of Woods.

The World No. 1 responded by getting up and down for birdie from the same bunker but couldn't catch Yang down the stretch.

A new resident of Dallas, Yang authored the shot of the tournament from the left edge of the 18th fairway while leading Woods by one tenuous stroke. With the entire golf world watching, Yang carved a soaring 3-hybrid over a tree and within 10 feet of the pin from 206 yards. Forced to answer to have any chance at his 15th major title, Woods hit his approach just left of the pin and found a dreadful lie just off the collar. Needing to hole out to potentially force a playoff, Woods pitched well left of the hole.

With two putts for the Wanamaker Trophy, Yang only needed one, pouring in his birdie bid to become the first player ever to stare down Woods on a Slam Sunday.