DESTINY HAS a way of calling its chosen ones; and while Tiger Woods heard the call when still a child in his father's arms, Korean YE Yang was a late-comer to its inveigling. Yesterday, in the 91st US PGA Championship, the 37-year-old one-time solider who only seriously took up the sport in his twenties, dramatically overhauled the world's number one to claim the Wanamaker Trophy.
It was the first time in a major that Woods, the ultimate finisher, was found wanting. In each of his 14 major wins, he'd held the lead going into the final round and went on to win. This time, Yang - of whom Pádraig Harrington had remarked ahead of the final round, "He's a fine player when he's in front, that guy knows what he is doing" - produced a final round 70 for 280, eight under, which gave him a three-stroke victory over Woods.
In doing so, Yang became the first Asian player to claim a major and completed a fairytale season for the South Korean who, back in March when he won the Honda Classic, was ranked 460th in the world.
Yang combined a doggedness and refusal to stand aside for what many believed would be Woods's stroll to a 15th major with a quite breathtaking performance. From nowhere, it seemed, a player willing and able to stand up to Woods in the white-heat of a major's final round had materialised.
Yang, having stuck to his task while an out-of-sorts Woods struggled to find any rhythm, delivered a number of telling blows on the back nine. The first blow came on the 14th, the driveable par four which yesterday played to 301 yards.
Yang's tee-shot came up just short of the green, but he proceeded to hole a 20-yard chip for an eagle two that moved him clear of Woods, who birdied the hole.
Then, holding a one stroke lead on the 18th, Yang - first to hit - did a Tiger on Tiger. He hit a stunning approach with a rescue club to 10 feet and, after Woods missed the green with his approach, finished off the deal with a glorious, winning birdie.
Rory McIlroy showed he has game, in more ways than one. If some American commentators - among them Paul Azinger - had questioned the 20-year-old Ulsterman's world ranking earlier this season, his exploits States-side have more than answered such scepticism; and none more so than yesterday's performance, when he overcame a double bogey six on the opening hole to finish with a 70 for 285, three under, that left him in tied-third.
McIlroy's response to that opening double bogey - where he three-putted, having been in trouble off the tee - was to pilfer five birdies from the course, including a run of three in a row from the third.
"I finished 10th in the US Open but it looks like I'll be finishing top 5 here. I would have taken that at the start of the week. I had a couple of chances to be even a couple shots better, and I'm really pleased with myself and a nice way to go into a two-week break."
On a difficult, windy day which left players second-guessing their club selection and forced to use creativity in shaping shots, no one suffered more at the hands of the elements than defending champion Harrington who, for the second week running, ran up a big number when in contention.
This time it happened on the short par 3 eighth hole, although the early administration of the shock hardly made it any less palatable. In what had all the tragic comic elements of a pantomime, with Harrington as the fall guy, his hopes - built on a steady start of seven successive pars - were tossed to the wind.
What do you call what happened to Harrington on the eighth? A "Firestone moment", perhaps, as the ghosts of Akron returned a week later to torment the Dubliner. Except, this time, his eight - which included two visits to the water - represented a quintuple bogey rather than a triple bogey.
Having grafted for days, his quest to retain the title evaporated into the humid Minnesotan air in a matter of minutes.
How did it happen? In the swirling wind, Harrington's bold tee-shot - a six-iron to the 176-yard par 3 eighth hole - plunged into the pond to the right of the green. What followed turned the hole into a disaster, as he went to the drop zone and pulled his shot into the left rough where Henrik Stenson had to duck to avoid being hit by the ball.
It got worse, as Harrington's next shot from the heavy rough - a la his shot at the 16th in Firestone a week ago - flew the green straight into the pond. After another drop, this time into the rough, he failed to find the green and eventually ran up a quintuple bogey eight that saw him drop from six-under (just one behind Woods at the time) to one-under and his dream of back-to-back PGAs disappeared as if by a witch's sorcery. There was to be no way back for Harrington, who manfully stuck to his task to salvage a 78 for 288, which at least gave him the minor solace of a top-10 finish.
Graeme McDowell secured his best ever finish in a major, with a closing round 72 also for 288, level par. Having stuck resolutely to the task at hand all day, McDowell grabbed late birdies at the 15th and 16th - before bogeying the 17th - but managed a par on the difficult 18th to ensure a top-10 finish. "I'm very happy. I didn't go to the first tee on Thursday feeling particularly good about my game, but I've consistently played better every day. It was tough, really difficult wind direction today. Nothing really seemed to come easy. I hung in there well."
Yang, for one, found a way to conquer the course, Woods and the rest of the field.
