Y.E. Yang denies Tiger in China
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2006 HSBC Champions Tournament | Wrap | 12 Nov 2006
Normally at this time on a Sunday evening the name Y.E. Yang is being talked about as a contender and possible winner of a Japan Golf Tour event. After all, he has won four times on the Japan Golf Tour and this year alone has recorded eight other top tens. Just two weeks ago he was runner up in a playoff with Shingo Katayama at the ABC Championship.
This week however, Korean, Yang, has taken his game and profile to a new level by defeating a field that included the world’s number one and two players, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk and arguably one of the strongest fields ever assembled in Asia at the HSBC Classic in Shanghai.
It is a victory that will change the golfing career of the 34-year-old Yang, if he so chooses, as he now has options opening up in terms of full status on the European Tour. With this event co-sanctioned between the European, Asian, Australasian and Sunshine Tours he could well find himself with access to more events than he could even dream about a week ago.
The manner in which he held such a quality field at bay, despite two late bogeys, for so long throughout the final day after he had passed the overnight leader Retief Goosen with an early burst, speaks volumes not only for Yang but for the growing strength of the Japan Golf Tour.
Tiger Woods produced three late birdies to close the gap to just two but to a large extent the margin flattered the chasers. Yang had asserted his authority on the field with an opening nine of 32 to move well clear and when he birdied the 13th to move to 16 under it appeared it was Yang’s to win or lose.
Michael Campbell was brilliant on the final day after losing his way on Saturday with a third round of 77. The difference between Saturday and Sunday was 13 shots for the New Zealander and he will be ready to challenge at the MasterCard Masters in two weeks time. He had not played for three weeks prior to this event but will play in Hong Kong this Thursday.
Goosen looked to be the winner of this event for a long time before an out of character back nine of 39 saw him slip to a share of third with Campbell. His bogey at the last cost him a lot of money as the perhaps more likely birdie would have seen him in outright second.
Yang will by all accounts take up his European Tour membership and the victory, against such a strong field, will ensure the ranking points he needs to gain starts in big events in the coming months. This was rather big in any case with the winner earning €655,000.
Nick O’Hern was the best of the Australians in 20th place, Craig Parry was 35th, Peter O’Malley 39th, Paul Sheehan and Kane Webber 54th, Adam Bland 59th, and Steve Bowditch 69th.
For Bowditch his last round 89 must have felt like a real blow with a sledgehammer after having played well early in the event. He appeared to be have been recovering from what has been a disastrous year until today’s round.
The European Tour and Asian Tours now heads to Hong Kong, the Australasian Tour to Sydney for the Australian Open and the Sunshine Tour to the Limpopo province of South Africa for the Limpopo Classic.
