Forever Yang
What is the first thing you have to do to beat Tiger Woods? You have to turn up and before you get all mental or psychological, you have have to be prepared in the physical realm, you have to get to the course early, release all of yesterday's toxic waste at the loo which you may otherwise be carrying with you which is of no benefit. Turning up early allows you a little luxury to ease your tension of the day before a game. Hope you get the point.
You saw it for yourself on TV one of golf's great historical moments when Y.E. Yang, the first Asian born who tamed Tiger to win the PGA Championship. You read the papers talking about how his parents, farmers in Jeju Island objected to his desire to play golf how he got his meagre pay picking golf balls and when he found an iron he would trained himself before the range opened and after the range closed.
Y.E. Yang
Where from a distant galaxy of a humble 110th position, he took on the world no.1. A single victory against a 70 time winner. History, statistics and everything was against him. Even as he strutted through the fairways to each green, he has a crowd of spectators fighting against him as the roaring cheers of "Tiger, Tiger!" resonated. How many skilful, experienced and excellent golfers has stumbled often times in the past against this phenoma and pressure for Tiger has never relinquished his lead when he led after 54 holes in all of his 14 times that he led. What right has Yang to even dare to think of trying?
From a distant glance, Yang was but a spitting image of compatriot K J Choi who now happens to be his neighbour in Dallas. Koreans are great competitors. In fact, they are warriors. I saw how Korea took on world soccer champions Argentina in the soccer World Cup and although they lost 2-3, they took on the Argentines on their own terms even scoring from long range. we saw them make history when the co-hosted the soccer World Cup with Japan. In typical fashion, Yang played his game as if Tiger never existed.
Borrowing a line from the great philosopher Bruce Lee: "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can."
At the most critical moment, Yang was looking at a tree in his path to glory. Even the tree was against him. He coolly whipped out his no. 3 hybrid, a TaylorMade Rescue TP of 21 degrees and smacked it past the tree and landed a few feet from the pin. Wow! His shot was probably twice as tough as Tiger's who used a 5-iron. This was the kind of hybrid shot that I was talking about in a previous article.
Yet before all these could have happened, Yang must himself have faced with great challenges, doubts, fears and would have trained ever so hard. He was known to have been the first to arrive and last to leave where he once worked at a range so that he could train there. What most of us saw was an unlikely and impossible victory of historic proportion but what we didn't see are the hours of training, preparation, hardship and the many uncertainties that Yang must have toiled through and have to bear with. Though he is not joining the Senior PGA anytime soon, he is also no spring chicken, not a 17 or a 27 year old lad but he kept his pace.
His caddie was Jimmy Montecinos where their first tournament was the Buick International. It was reported that while driving Yang in his Mitsubishi Gallant to another state, Yang asked what Montecinos owed in mortgages and was told that he owed $10k for his car and $150k for his house. Yang then told Montecinos that he will make two million and "we will pay". Soon enough, Yang won his very first and turned to Montecinos: "I told you so". That took care of the car and now this cool $1.35 million will take care of Montecinos's house.
Tiger
Take nothing away from Tiger, he is still phenomenal. Everybody is entitled to an off day. He is the best, the greatest but he is not God. On the contrary, it is a good thing for Tiger to scale greater heights. For statisticians and journalists to find various ways to count his records such as never relinquishing his lead after leading 54 holes, we now have one less to track. It means Tiger can go on and do what he needs. What's this obsession on figures about anyway? All this is very normal. What is not normal is that it took so long for so few to do that honour to Tiger. There's no longer a need harping on such records.
We must also not forget that in the old days where Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan were plying their trade, the depth and pool of today's golf talents globally were something that they do not have to contend with and have never confronted. Ryo Ishikawa, Rory McIIroy and many more are coming up and there are many more great competitors. We have also forgotten that not so long ago Tiger was just recuperating from injuries. Since then, how many has he already won? That alone is amazing!
We all need inspirational stories like these to give us hope and from hope, faith and conviction especially for so many of us who toiled in the sun and suffered much, gave so much and yet received little. You will surely get to hear a lot more from Tiger, from Y.E. Yang and last but not least from Yours Truly!
Get a glimpse of what equipment, what loft, what kind of combination 3 top golfers at the recent PGA Championship were using. This was how they mapped their golf bag:
Y.E. Yang
Driver: TaylorMade r7 Limited (8.5 degrees) fitted with Aldila NV75 shaft.
Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Burner (13 degrees) and TaylorMade V-Steel (18 degrees)
Hybrids: Taylormade Rescue TP (19 and 21 degrees) fitted with Aldila NVS 105 shafts.
Irons: TaylorMade r7 TP (5-PW) Note: Longest iron is a 5-iron.
Wedges: TaylorMade rac (48 degrees), Nike SV (58 degrees). Note: Two wedges.
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Two-Ball. (Mallet).
Ball: TaylorMade TP Red LDP.
Tiger Woods
Driver: Nike SQ Sumo (10 degrees) fitted with Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83x shaft.
Fairway Woods: Nike SQ Sumo (15 & 19 degrees) with 103g shaft.
Irons: Nike Forged Blades (3-PW) - True Temper Dynamic Gold 540 shafts.
Wedges: Nike Victory Red (56 degrees) and NIke SV (60 degrees).
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2. (Blade).
Ball: Nike One Tour.
Padraig Harrington
Driver: TaylorMade R9 460 (9.5 degrees) fitted with Grafalloy Prolite 35. Note: The first new R9 was built for better players and R9 460 which is friendlier are meant for people like most of us, so you see an interesting choice here.
Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Burner (13 degrees), WIlson Staff FYbrid (18 degrees).
Hybrids: Wilson Staff (no.3 & no. 4).
Irons: Wilson Staff Pi5 (5-PW). Note: Longest iron is a 5-iron.
Wedges: Wilson Tw9 (54 & 60 degrees). Note: Two wedges.
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Two-Ball Blade.
Ball: Titleist Pro V 1 x.
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