Does What’s Never Been Done – Overtakes Third-Round Leader Tiger Woods to Win a Major Championship
Carlsbad, Calif. (August 17, 2009) – In winning the 2009 PGA Championship, TaylorMade-adidas Golf Tour Staff professional Y.E. Yang completed one of the most difficult and daunting challenges in all of sports, one that no golfer had ever successfully completed: He overtook third-round leader Tiger Woods in the final round of a major championship and held him off. Playing steady, occasionally spectacular golf, Yang showed tremendous courage and control in the face of the largest gallery he’d ever competed before.
Highlights of Yang’s final round included a deft chip-in for eagle on the drivable par-four 14th and, with a one-shot lead on the final hole, a laser-like Rescue® TP 3 hybrid to eight feet. He played a TaylorMade® TP Red™ ball and TaylorMade driver, hybrids and irons, and wore a TaylorMade TP glove and adidas Golf TOUR360 3.0 footwear.
It was a stunning, thrilling and popular victory for the affable Yang, who lives in Dallas and is completing his first full year of competition on the PGA Tour. Perhaps he himself delivered the best explanation for the tournament’s remarkable outcome during his press conference Saturday after the third round when he said: “You never know in the world of sports and the game of golf. So I’ll just try to make every shot, just focus on every shot that I have. And then tomorrow I may end up inside the top 10, top three and even win the PGA Championship. You never know.”
The win made Yang the first Asian-born player to win a major championship, elevated him 76 spots in the World Golf Rankings to No. 34, and earned him a berth on the International team in the 2009 Presidents Cup Matches.
“You never know in life,” Yang said. “This might be my last win as a golfer, but it sure is a great day. It’s going to be a big foundation for me to continue playing at the top level, which is the PGA Tour, and golf in America. And it just means the world right now. It hasn’t really sunk in, but I do know the significance of it.”
Yang struck the ball particularly well from tee to green throughout the week, and on Sunday found fairway after fairway and green after green on the long, difficult track. He controlled his emotions and golf ball beautifully throughout the day, especially on his final approach, a shot certain to go down in one of the finest under pressure in the history of major championship golf. And after he’d holed his final putt for birdie and the win, Yang exuberantly hoisted his staff bag above his head in a joyous and uplifting expression of emotion and celebration that should go down as one of the most memorable sports images of this or any year.
Additionally, TaylorMade-adidas Golf professional Greg Bisconti of Saint Andrew’s in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, earned medalist honors among the 20 PGA Professionals who competed at Hazeltine. It was the third time Bisconti has qualified for the PGA Championship and his best finish. He played a full compliment of TaylorMade equipment, including the TP Red golf ball, R9™ driver and Itsy Bitsy Monza® Spider putter.
For the eight consecutive year, TaylorMade was the No. 1 driver at the PGA Championship.
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
TaylorMade Golf has led the golf industry’s technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf creates high-performance, technology-infused golf apparel and footwear worn by hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Ashworth, which became a brand of the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company in 2008, creates relaxed, lifestyle-oriented golf apparel synonymous with authenticity and quality. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (866) 530-TMAG (8624) or www.tmag.com, www.taylormadegolf.com, www.adidasgolf.com, and www.ashworthinc.com.
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments such as adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach,Germany, the Group has more than 38,000 employees and sales of Ì¢?åÂ10.8 billion.
Contact:
TaylorMade Golf Company
Public Relations Department
Dave Cordero
Tel: 760.918.6367
email: dave.cordero@tmag.com
