Jon Leland posted on August 19, 2009 14:06
As the golf world wonders “how he did it?” it seems clear to me that a big part of Y. E. Yang’s completely unexpected victory at the PGA Championship was his inner game. Almost any golfer would have been captured and lost in all of that drama. In fact, as CBS Sports Mobile reported, when you consider what happened the last 14 golf majors where Tiger Woods had the lead going into the final round… “Somehow, Yang got it done while all others — from every strata of the game — had failed.” Everyone thought that Tiger on Sunday with the lead was unbeatable.
While Tiger failed to do his usual miracle of “making something happen,” Yang played within himself, hitting shot after shot, playing his own game, rising above the hoopla.
The clearest quote from Yang (via translator of course) that I found explaining his inner or mental game approach was on the CBS Sports Mobile application that I read on my iPhone. After revealing his deep love for the game of golf, Yang explained, “I guess the fearlessness comes from the fact that I know that I am doing my dream job. And I also have this mentality where I try my best and leave no regrets. If it doesn’t work out, then that’s that. I leave no regrets. So I guess if I do have courage, that’s where it comes from.”
So simply said and unquestionably authentic, yet something that even Tiger can’t actually do. Clearly, he has lots of regrets about Sunday.
I find it inspiring and I sincerely believe that Yang deserves the PGA Championship because he is someone who plays golf at the highest level, but he plays it with an authentic freedom that, for example, let him stand up and “just hit the ball” on the 72nd hole of a major.
Wow. Now that’s impressive!