Who the Heck is Y.E. Yang?

By Corey Janoff | August 16 2009

So I’m watching the final round of the PGA Championship at Hazeltine on Sunday with my dad, and I started thinking about that Robin Williams skit about golf.  We’re watching the best players in the world get beat up by the wind on this course.

Padraig Harrington was two shots back until he put a ball in the water, twice, on the 8th hole and ended up with an 8. Like my dad said, “He’s done.”  His chip was eerily similar to his one last week on 16 that he put in the water.

Lucas Glover, who was in position to make a run at Tiger, was having a miserable day.  Hitting traps, missing puts.

The wind was just messing with these guys.  Nobody could tell which direction it was blowing.  At one point on the course, there are about 12 flags of various countries standing next to each other and they were waving in all different directions!  That’s gotta mess with your head.

Then there is Tiger Woods and Y.E. Yang (who?), essentially in a match play duel on the final round.  Tiger appeared to be taking the conservative approach to the round, not taking any risky shots, laying up instead of going for greens, but he wasn’t getting his approach shots close to the pin, so he was having trouble scoring.  I guess he was expecting Yang to fall apart (like most guys do who are paired with Tiger), but Yang was going toe to toe with Tiger.

Just watching these guys is entertaining, because they make shots that seem impossible to a mortal human being, and mess up on what appear to be some simple shots.  It’s frustrating and suspenseful at the same time.

Here are some more of my observations from the round:

On the 10th hole, after Tiger’s tee shot appeared to be headed for the trees and took a lucky bounce into the fairway, he was lying 183 yards away.  He pulls out his 9-iron.  Now, I don’t care if it’s a downhill shot and the wind is behind you, he’s probably the only guy on the planet who can hit a 9-iron 183 yards.  It reminded me of that scene in Caddyshack where Carl Spakler (Bill Murray) is taking swings at the flowers…”18th hole, at Agusta…Cinderella story…183 yards away…that’ll be about a 9-iron...the crowd quiets…he swings…OH HE GOT A HOLD OF THAT ONE!”

Needless to say, Tiger put it about 10 feet from the hole.  That’s why people watch golf on TV.  It’s a completely different game than we play when we go out for a round.  On par fives these guys hit driver-iron and are putting for eagle.

The 12th hole at Hazeltine is a 515 yard par four.  Are you kidding me!  Par four!  515 yards! I nee to hit two solid drives to get it 515 yards.  Not surprisingly, its the hardest hole in a major this year, with an average score of 4.5.  The distance is not a problem for these guys, however.

Tiger hit a driver into the rough, then a 6-iron and put it over the green.  Yang drove it in the fairway and put his 6-iron onto the back of the green.  Maybe I should just give up on golf.

You gotta love the commercials during golf commercials.  There are more Flowmax, Cialis, and Avodart commercials than I care to see.  It makes me feel like I’m supposed to have some problem with my man-stuff.  There’s also a lot of commercials for luxury cars, life insurance, and retirement planning.  I guess rich old guys are the demographic that watches these events.  Maybe I’m a little out of place.

You have to be patient to cover a golf tournament start to finish.  These announcers are out there commentating for about 7 hours.  Just once I want to see them stick Dick Vitale in the booth at a golf tournament.  Maybe for a celebrity one.  “I’m rootin’ for Rory McIlroy, the youngster, the diaper dandy, on the leaderboard at only 20 years old! Fuggetabout the Tigers, and the Phil Mickelsons; I’m pullin for the cinderella story babaaaayyyy!  I want the underdog! Zero to hero in just one weekend! Let’s go Rory!  Show Tiger what your made of!” I want to see how Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo handle Vitale as their color commentator.

The 14th hole is a 313 yard par four.  Short par four that all these guys are driving.  One day….one day I’ll drive it 300….and go for short par fours off the tee…and hit my 9-iron 180 (well, maybe not that one).  Yang’s chip in for eagle on 13 really put some pressure on Tiger to change his gameplan.  It was the first time that anyone other than Tiger held the outright lead in this tournament.  Tiger knocked his put in for birdie to stay within one of Yang, but it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.  Yang is not backing down.  This is impressive.

Shaq and Ben Stein are dressed as Starsky and Hutch in a new Comcast commercial….no comment.

This Yang character keeps waving at the camera when it gets close.  He has one PGA tour win, compared to Tiger’s 70.  He’s loving this.  Who wouldn’t?  How many guys get to go toe to toe with Tiger on a Sunday?  I wonder if he’ll ask Tiger for an autograph and photo after the round.  If he can pull this win off he’ll have a bit more face time on TV in the coming weeks.

We have Comcast cable, internet, and phone service, and when someone called the house phone, a memo appeared on the bottom of the television screen telling us who was calling.  That was pretty cool.  I’ve never seen that before.  Maybe its a brand spanking new service feature.  And because we saw who was calling (and didn’t want to talk to them), there was no need to get up and answer it.  Technology makes us so lazy.

You know what’s awesome?  Those big bags of Stacy’s Pita Chips that you can get at Costco.  So good!  Just thought I’d share that with you.

Tiger is really having trouble putting the ball today.  He doesn’t usually miss some of these that he’s missing.  A few more putts and this wouldn’t even be a tournament.  But give credit to Yang for hanging in there, doing his thing, and taking advantage of Tiger’s missed opportunities.

On the 16th hole there is a group of canoers and kayakers paddling alongside the tee box and fairway.  I guess one of the perks to living on a lake on a golf course is cheap tickets to PGA tournaments that come your way.  Maybe I’ll move to Minnesota one day.

I wonder if Yang speaks English.  If not, this will be an interesting interview when this tournament is over.

The drama!  Tiger almost choking on 16.  Yang leaving it open for him to still recover and come back.  Tiger just doesn’t have it today.  Missed his par putt on 16 that could’ve closed the gap.  Yang squanders an opportunity to take a two shot lead with two to play.  Ahhhh!!  Golf can be so suspenseful.  It’s like reading a great thriller - takes a while to finish, yet it’s riveting and gripping.

I wonder how the restroom situation works at these golf tournaments.  You know?  Are there separate bathrooms for the players and spectators?  Or do they all have to share?  That would be cool if you could go to a golf tournament and pee next to the pro’s.

Yang’s second shot on 18 is really putting some pressure on Tiger here.  He’s gotta stick it if he wants to stay in this tournament.  Annnnd he just misses and puts it in the rough just off the fringe.  Unless Tiger chips this one in, I think it’s over.  Tiger’s just been a little off all day.  Looks like he’s going to have to wait until April to try and win his next major.

Tiger never blows a 54 hole lead.  Especially in a major.  I think only once in his career has he lost a tournament that he led after three rounds.

Congratulations Y.E. Yang.  The first major win ever by an Asian-born player.  He’s gotta be stoked.

Golf is going global.  Bring in the translator!  These interviews are always fun.

I wouldn’t want to talk to Tiger for a few days.

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