Yang Yong-eun

In this Korean name, the family name is Yang.

Yang Yong-eun (Korean: 양용은; born 15 January 1972), also called Y. E. Yang, is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was previously a member of the PGA Tour, where he won twice, including most notably the 2009 PGA Championship when he came from behind to defeat Tiger Woods, thus winning the first major championship by a male player born in Asia. He is occasionally known by the nickname The Tiger Killer.^[2]

Yang Yong-eun
Yang in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Yang Yong-eun
Nickname	The Tiger Killer
Born	(1972-01-15) 15 January 1972 (age 52) Sindo-ri, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si Jeju-do, South Korea
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	88 kg (194 lb; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationality	South Korea
Residence	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Career
Turned professional	1996
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour European Tour Japan Golf Tour Asian Tour
Professional wins	13
Highest ranking	19 (16 May 2010)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	2
European Tour	3
Japan Golf Tour	5
Asian Tour	1
PGA Tour Champions	1
Other	2
Best results in major championships (wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	T8: 2010
PGA Championship	Won: 2009
U.S. Open	T3: 2011
The Open Championship	T16: 2011
Achievements and awards
Korean Tour Rookie of the Year 1999 Korean Tour Player of the Year 2004, 2006

Professional career

In 2006, Yang won the Korea Open, an Asian Tour event, gaining him entry into the HSBC Champions Tournament in November 2006. He won the tournament, beating a strong field including runner-up Tiger Woods. The victory earned him membership of the European Tour and moved him into the top 40 of the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2008 he played on the PGA Tour after earning his membership through qualifying school; he had to regain his tour card in 2009 after placing 157th on the money list in 2008. Yang won his first title on the PGA Tour at the 2009 Honda Classic in his 46th career start in the United States. With this win, he became only the second Korean after K. J. Choi to win on the PGA Tour.

On 16 August 2009, Yang won the 91st PGA Championship, his first major championship, overcoming a two-shot deficit going into the final round to finish three strokes ahead of Woods, his playing partner.^[3] The victory was the first major championship for a male player born in Asia, surpassing the runners-up finishes achieved by Lu Liang-Huan in the 1971 Open Championship, Isao Aoki in the 1980 U.S. Open and Chen Tze-chung in the 1985 U.S. Open. The previous best finish by a Korean was Choi's 3rd place in the 2004 Masters Tournament. It was also the first time that Woods had failed to win a major after holding at least a share of the lead at the end of 54 holes.^[4] Yang was ranked 110th worldwide prior to the tournament, but moved up to 34th after the victory.^[5] The win earned Yang a five-year PGA Tour exemption and helped him to a top ten finish overall on the PGA Tour.

In April 2010, Yang won the Volvo China Open with a one-under-par 71 final round.^[6] In February 2011, Yang had his best run at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship reaching the quarter-finals before eventually succumbing to American Matt Kuchar, 2 & 1. Previously Yang had defeated Álvaro Quirós on the 20th hole in round one, Stewart Cink, 4 & 3, in round two and the 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell in round three, 3 & 2.

The following week Yang was in contention for his 3rd PGA Tour title at The Honda Classic, an event where he had earned his inaugural PGA Tour win in 2009. Despite entering the final round five strokes behind the eventual winner Rory Sabbatini, he was able to close the gap to just one stroke by birdieing the par-three 15th, where he was 18 inches away from a hole in one. However, needing an eagle on the par-five 18th after Sabbatini had stretched his lead to two with a birdie on the par-four 16th, he was unable to hole his bunker shot and a birdie earned him a runner-up finish one stroke behind the winner.

Yang at the 2016 Lyoness Open.

Yang reached a career high OWGR ranking of 19th in 2010, but a string of bad finishes and missed cuts in 2013 and 2014 plummeted the former major winner to 638th at the end of 2014, the final year of his PGA Tour exemption after winning the 2009 PGA Championship. A poor 2014 saw Yang finish well outside the top 150 in the FedEx Cup, which limited him to the Past Champions category for 2015. Yang spent much of 2015 playing on the European Tour and Asian Tour. 2015 saw a resurgence for Yang, making the cut at the PGA Championship for the first time in multiple years. Yang moved up to 262nd in the world by November 2015. After a poor 2016 European Tour season where he finished outside 110th, Yang regained his Tour card through Q School.

In 2021, Yang was disqualified from 103rd PGA Championship at The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Resort, in South Carolina for signing an incorrect scorecard following the second round.^[7]

In February 2022, after turning 50, Yang joined the PGA Tour Champions.

Personal life

Yang was born in the island province of Jeju-do.^[8][9] He is the fourth of eight children. He started to play golf at the age of 19 while picking golf balls part-time and, later, working as a golf instructor at Jeju's Ora Country Club. Yang learned by watching the movements of players who visited his golf club. Although he now has coaches, Yang is a self-taught golfer.^[10] His brother recommended he try hitting balls at a local driving range. Trying to get a 'proper job', Yang fell down a flight of stairs and tore his ACL^[11] while he was learning to use an excavator for a construction company.^[12] After recovering from his knee injury, he began mandatory service in the South Korean military at the age of 21.

On conclusion of his service, he moved to New Zealand, where he pursued a professional career in golf. He turned semi-pro on 21 July 1995 and pro on 22 August 1996. Yang is married to Young-Joo Park and has three sons. He is an active owner of an indoor golf range in the Koreatown section of Dallas.^[13] He currently resides in Southlake, Texas, near fellow South Korean PGA player K. J. Choi.^[13]

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (2)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	8 Mar 2009	The Honda Classic	−9 (68-65-70-68=271)	1 stroke	John Rollins
2	16 Aug 2009	PGA Championship	−8 (73-70-67-70=280)	3 strokes	Tiger Woods

European Tour wins (3)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other European Tour (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	12 Nov 2006 (2007 season)	HSBC Champions1	−14 (66-72-67-69=274)	2 strokes	Tiger Woods
2	16 Aug 2009	PGA Championship	−8 (73-70-67-70=280)	3 strokes	Tiger Woods
3	18 Apr 2010	Volvo China Open2	−15 (68-66-68-71=273)	2 strokes	Rhys Davies, Stephen Dodd

¹Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, but unofficial event on those tours.
²Co-sanctioned by the OneAsia Tour

Japan Golf Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	8 Aug 2004	Sun Chlorella Classic	−13 (67-70-69-69=275)	3 strokes	David Smail, Yeh Wei-tze
2	7 Nov 2004	Asahi-Ryokuken Yomiuri Memorial	−17 (69-78-69-65=271)	2 strokes	Shingo Katayama
3	9 Oct 2005	Coca-Cola Tokai Classic	−18 (66-72-65-67=270)	4 strokes	Taichi Teshima
4	10 Sep 2006	Suntory Open	−14 (67-68-68-63=266)	6 strokes	Hidemasa Hoshino, Toru Taniguchi
5	29 Apr 2018	The Crowns	−12 (67-67-67-67=268)	4 strokes	Hwang Jung-gon, Anthony Quayle

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2006	ABC Championship	Shingo Katayama	Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Asian Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	24 Sep 2006	Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open1	−14 (65-67-68-70=270)	3 strokes	Kang Ji-man

¹Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

OneAsia Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	18 Apr 2010	Volvo China Open1	−15 (68-66-68-71=273)	2 strokes	Rhys Davies, Stephen Dodd
2	10 Oct 2010	Kolon Korea Open2	−4 (74-71-69-66=280)	2 strokes	Choi Ho-sung, Kim Bi-o

¹Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
²Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

OneAsia Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2012	Nanshan China Masters	Liang Wenchong	Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole

Korean Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	3 Nov 2002	SBS Oriental Fire Cup	−11 (70-69-68-70=277)	Playoff	Choi Sang-ho, Park No-seok
2	24 Sep 2006	Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open1	−14 (65-67-68-70=270)	3 strokes	Kang Ji-man
3	10 Oct 2010	Kolon Korea Open2 (2)	−4 (74-71-69-66=280)	2 strokes	Choi Ho-sung, Kim Bi-o

¹Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
²Co-sanctioned by the OneAsia Tour

Korean Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2002	SBS Oriental Fire Cup	Choi Sang-ho, Park No-seok	Won with eagle on first extra hole

PGA Tour Champions wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	8 Sep 2024	Ascension Charity Classic	−13 (65-69-66=200)	Playoff	Bernhard Langer

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2024	Ascension Charity Classic	Bernhard Langer	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2009	PGA Championship	2 shot deficit	−8 (73-70-67-70=280)	3 strokes	Tiger Woods

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament			T30		CUT
U.S. Open	CUT
The Open Championship	CUT		CUT
PGA Championship	T47		CUT		1

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Masters Tournament	T8	T20	T57	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	T3	CUT	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship	T60	T16	CUT	T32	CUT
PGA Championship	CUT	T69	T36	CUT	CUT	T48	CUT	CUT	CUT

Tournament	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship	CUT		DQ	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship		NT

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
DQ = disqualified
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	1	2	7	4
PGA Championship	1	0	0	1	1	1	17	5
U.S. Open	0	0	1	1	1	1	6	1
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	3
Totals	1	0	1	2	3	5	37	13

• Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (2011 Masters – 2012 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2009 PGA – 2010 Masters)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
The Players Championship	CUT	T34	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Match Play				R64			R32	QF	R32
Championship	64			T65		74	T30	T39	59
Invitational				T56		T19	T46	T53	T36
Champions						T33	T51

  Top 10

  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Team appearances

Professional

• Royal Trophy (representing Asia): 2007, 2012 (winners)
• Presidents Cup (International team): 2009, 2011
• World Cup (representing South Korea): 2009

See also

• 2007 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 2016 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of men's major championships winning golfers

References

1. "Week 20 2010 Ending 16 May 2010" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
2. "Quiet Yang is the Tiger Killer".
3. Dorman, Larry (16 August 2009). "Y. E. Yang Shocks Woods to Win at P.G.A." The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
4. "Yang catches Woods for USPGA win". BBC Sport. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
5. "Yang beats Tiger and becomes first Asian major winner". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 August 2009.
6. "Yang eases the pressure with victory". The Irish Times. The Irish Times Limited. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
7. Morse, Ben (21 May 2021). "Y.E. Yang, the man who beat Tiger Woods to win the 2009 PGA Championship, is disqualified". CNN. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
8. "Y. E. Yang". PGA Tour. 2014. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014.
9. "Yang slightly nervous about playing on home soil". Golf.com. 20 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014.
10. "Yang's life changed forever with win over Tiger". NBC Sports. Associated Press. 17 August 2009. Archived from the original on 18 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
11. Lerner, Rich (17 August 2009). "What's Next for Y.E. Yang?". The Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
12. "PGA Championship, 'Wild' Woods". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 17 August 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
13. Nichols, Bill (8 April 2010). "Since historic win, Korean golfer finds balance with family in Southlake, at Dallas driving range". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.

External links

• YE Yang at the Korean Tour official site (in Korean)
• Y E Yang at the Japan Golf Tour official site
• Y.E. Yang at the PGA Tour official site
• Y.E. Yang at the European Tour official site
• Y.E. Yang at the Asian Tour official site
• Y.E. Yang at the Official World Golf Ranking official site