Down goes Tiger! Down goes Tiger! Down goes Tiger! I keep hearing Howard Cosell rephrasing his famous boxing call from the Frazier - Foreman fight for Sunday’s knockout of Tiger Woods by the unlikeliest of of sources, Y.E. Yang, the 37 year old South Korean who hit the shot heard round the golf world with his eagle chip in on the 14th hole at Hazeltine. He punctuated that shot, becoming the first Asian-born golfer to win a Major Championship at the PGA with a stunning approach on 18 and a birdie putt that slayed the dragon that has become Tiger Woods.
In victory, Yang not only tilted the golf world off its axis, but showed every other golfer on earth that Woods is human after all. Seeking a win for the third straight week in a row and his 15th Major Championship, Woods carried what was considered an insurmountable 2 stroke lead into the final round. He’d never lost a major while leading or tied going into the final round. He was 14-0, but apparently that made little impression on Yang, who was playing with Woods for the first time ever.
Looking calm, unflappable and fearless throughout the round, Yang kept the pressure on Woods, who wasn’t having one of his better days. It’s a testament to Tiger that he was still in the hunt as he battled his way around Hazeltime and was tied for the lead before Yang’s stunning chip in on 14. But all the credit goes to Yang for the way he played the last five holes. In fact, he was 13 under over the 49 holes of the tournament. This is without a doubt Woods most disappointing loss in a major. It will be seven months before we get to see how he reacts at Augusta.
One other earth shattering sports performance occurred this weekend. Usain Bolt destroyed his 100 meter record by clocking in at 9.58. By beating his previous mark by 11 hundredths of a second, Bolt lowered the record by the largest margin ever since electronic timing was introduced in 1968. It is a staggering, superhuman feat and yet he can probably run faster. Lightning struck twice this historic sports weekend.
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