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Which Golfer Unexpectedly Beat Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship? All You Need to Know
Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers. However, in a surprising turn of events, he was defeated by a South Korean golfer during the 2009 PGA Championship. Let’s uncover more details on it.
The 2009 PGA Championship saw a phenomenal change in Tiger Woods’ legacy. The American professional golfer had all the possibilities to make it a win, given that he was leading the tournament after 54-hole and he never had lost a major when being in this position. However, things changed, and Y.E. Yang, a relatively unknown golfer from South Korea took the first position in the standing after defeating Woods with a three-stroke margin.
Woods had a no-bogey first round as he scored 67 and took the top position during the first day. In his second round, he was still four strokes ahead of other competitors but he had to share the spot with the English professional golfer Ross Fisher and the American professional golfer Lucas Glover. Woods was still playing safe in his third round as he was two shots ahead of the rest. However, Y.E. Yang reached the second position on day third and was sharing the scores with the Irish professional golfer Padraig Harrington.
By the time, the now 48-year-old golfer concluded his fourth round, things completely changed as he struggled with his putting all day long. As the game progressed, Yang clinched the victory with a remarkable 210-yard approach around a tree on the 18th hole, landing the ball within ten feet and setting up a birdie, while Woods finished with a bogey.
This unbelievable moment allowed the South Korean golfer to become the first Asian-born player to ever win in a major competition. The event, which took place at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, also saw Woods losing a major for the first time when leading after 54 holes. He had previously won 14 major championships before this unexpected loss occurred.
With this defeat, Woods was unable to ever get back his first spot in any major until 2018. However, the only time he was able to win another major was during the 2019 Masters Tournament when he defeated three other golfers at the Augusta National Golf Course. It is important to highlight that in his illustrious career, the 15-time major champion has amassed 110 professional wins, including 82 victories on the PGA Tour.
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Meanwhile, Yang has only won one major championship to date. Nonetheless, his amazing form made him earn the moniker The Tiger Killer. Moreover, his best results in other major championships include taking the T8 position in the 2010 Masters Tournament, securing the T3 position in the 2011 U.S. Open, and earning the T16 place in the 2011 Open Championship.
Other than this, the 52-year-old golfer has added just one more PGA Tour victory to his record. He defeated John Rollins by one stroke during his matchup at the 2009 Honda championship. He then played his last season on the tour in 2014.
Thus, while Yang’s triumph was a monumental moment for several Asian golfers, the loss for Woods marked the beginning of a challenging period in his career, both on and off the course. Lately, he even encountered several obstacles in his career including his 2021 serious car accident, which made him stay away from professional golf games for quite some time before returning back in 2022.
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