Yang rattles Tiger’s cage

PADRÁIG HARRINTON will never forget the day that YE Yang became the first Asian-born golfer to win a major with a supreme US PGA victory at Hazeltine National last night.

It wasn’t that the 37-year old Korean birdied the last for a 70 to beat a wobbling Tiger Woods by an incredible three shots on eight under par but the almost unbelievable quintuple bogey eight that the Dubliner racked up on the par-three eighth to see his hopes of a fourth major title sink without trace.

Two visits to the green side pond at the 167-yard par three – in the land of 10,000 lakes – will be Harrington’s legacy here.

He limped home with a six over par 78 to finish tied for 10th on level par but on terms of major championship catastrophes, this one will rank up there with Jean Van de Velde’s 72nd hole implosion at Carnoustie in 1999.

“Obviously it was disappointing for me,” Harrington said. “I only got out of position one hole.”

Just a week after taking an excruciating eight at Firestone’s 16th to hand Woods the Bridgestone Invitational, Harrington repeated the trick in unbelievable fashion in Minnesota when parred the first seven holes and was tied for second with the eventual champion on six under par – just a stroke behind Woods.

But with the wind whipping from left to right, he blocked his six-iron dangerously and grimaced as it splashed down in the pond right of the green.

The Dubliner then elected to play his third shot from the drop zone at the end of the tee but pulled it so far left that playing partner Henrik Stenson and his caddie Fanny Sunesson had to duck for cover.

Harrington’s ball plunged into deep rough and from there he gave an action replay of the shot that cost him an eight and the title at the par-five 16th hole in the final round at Firestone Country Club just seven days earlier, where he was one ahead of Woods at the time.

Buried in deep rough, he tried to hit a flop shot to a pin situated just five yards from the right hand side of the green but got too much club on the ball and watched in horror as his fourth shot flew into the water hazard again

Dropping in deep rough for six, Harrington could only flub his next effort a few yards forward into more deep rough and he did well to chop is seventh stroke down to four feet and hole out for an eight.

As a result he dropped from tied second to 11th, going from six under to one under in the blink of an eye and the rest was a blur.

Harrington was interviewed on the range before the start and explained that he expected a tough battle on a day when a 20 mph south wind was buffeting the course.

Harrington need to be an accountant to keep count of his shots on the eighth, where he racked up his biggest score since he took a nine at the 12th in the first round of the 2001 US PGA.

But his woes were quickly forgotten as Woods and Yang produced a classic title battle down the stretch.

Tied for the lead on six under par after nine holes, Woods edged clear with a birdie at the par-five 11th before a poor chip at the 12th led to his third bogey of the day.

Yang holed a clutch par putt at the 13th to remain tied but then came a moment of magic from the Korea at the 301-yard, par four 13th, where he chipped in from 20 yards for eagle to move two shots clear on eight under.

Woods was just eight feet away in two after bunkering his tee shot but he nervelessly rolled in the birdie putt to walk off just a shot behind.

But Woods is human after all and he simply had no answer to Yang’s brilliance coming down the stretch.

After failing to birdie the par five 15th or the signature 16th, Woods needed to put the pressure on over the last two holes but finished with two bogeys.

Both men dropped shots at the 17th to leave Yang one clear on seven under playing the last. But Woods missed the green, Yang fired an approach to 10 feet and holed the putt for victory before the American lamely failed with his par attempt and had to settle for a three-over par 75.

McDowell clinched his best finish in a major when he tied for 10th on level par after a 72.

“I’m very happy,” said McDowell, who offset bogeys at the first, 12th and 17th with birdies at the sixth, 15th and 16th. “I didn't go to the first tee on Thursday feeling particularly good about my game, but I've consistently played better every day.

“I struggled a little bit today. It was tough, really difficult wind direction today. Nothing really seems to come easy but I hung in there well.

Tied for 17th in the Masters, McDowell believes he is getting to grips with the challenges of the majors and can contend for victory some day.

“I think I've learned how to attack these things now,” he said. “They are different from regular events. You have to work out how to prepare yourself physically and your game.

“I've really enjoyed my four majors this year. I can build on this and look forward to next year and try and win one.”

Meanwile Rory McIlroy came of age in just his fifth major appearance and only his fourth as a professional when he closed with a impressive 70 to finish tied for third with Lee Westwood and US Open champion Lucas Glover on three under par.

Seven behind overnight, the 20 year old Holywood prodigy began with a nightmare double bogey six at to slip back to one over par for the championship but the stormed to the turn in two under par 34 with three birdies on the spin from the third and another at the ninth.

After erasing a bogey at the 12th with a birdie at the 14th, he finished impressively by getting up and down for par at the 17th and 18th to complete an incredible US PGA debut.

McIlroy managed to play the remaining 17 holes in four under par on a day when the field struggled in a crosswind that gusted over 25 mph.

“I've been very patient,” he said. “I didn't get flustered when I made a six at the first. I knew that I had a few chances on the front nine to get it back, and I had four birdies after that on the front nine to turn at two-under and the back nine was playing very tough today. To shoot level par on that back nine with this wind, I felt was a really good effort.”