PGA Champions Ascension Charity Classic
Bernhard Langer pressed at the end of the extension
“I’m focused on my play… It’s the best day ever”
“I’m happy to finally beat a legendary player.”
‘Son of the Wind’ Yang Yong-eun (52) won his first title in the US PGA Tour Champions by defeating the ‘legend’ of the senior stage, Bernhard Langer (67, Germany), in an overtime match.
Yang Yong-eun reduced his score by 5 strokes with 1 eagle, 4 birdies, and 1 bogey in the final 3rd round of the Ascension Charity Classic held at the Norwood Hills Golf Course (par 71) in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on the 9th. Yang, who tied with Langer with a final total of 13-under 200, kissed the winner’s trophy by making a birdie on the first hole of the extension on the 18th hole (par 4) and beating Langer, who made par. The prize money is 315,000 dollars (approximately 420 million won). This is the second PGA Tour Champions win by a Korean player, following Choi K.-ju (54), who won the Pure Insurance Championship in September 2021 and the Senior Open in July this year. Yang Yong-eun garnered attention in 2009 when he was playing on the PGA Tour and became the first Asian player to win the PGA Championship, a major tournament, by coming from behind to defeat ‘golf emperor’ Tiger Woods (49, USA).
Yang Yong-eun, who has been playing in the PGA Tour Champions for those over 50 since 2022, has played in 71 tournaments until last week, finishing second twice and third three times, but has failed to overcome the final hurdle at the top. However, in this tournament, his 72nd appearance, Yang Yong-eun shook off Langer’s persistent pursuit and declared his first win. Langer, who holds the record for most wins (46 wins) and oldest winner (65 years, 10 months, and 5 days) in the PGA Tour Champions, is a living legend who has been inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame.
Yang Yong-eun said in a phone call with this newspaper after his win, “I played a few rounds with Langer on the Senior Tour, but this was my first time playing with him in the Champions Group, so I was nervous.” He continued, “Watching Langer shoot seven-under par in a day even at the age of 67, I thought, ‘He’s not a legend for nothing. ’” He added, “Langer played so well from the beginning that I thought winning this time was out of the question, but I quickly changed my mind and focused only on my play,” and expressed his delight, saying, “This is the best day I’ve had in the three years I’ve played in the PGA Tour Champions.”
As Yang Yong-eun said, the road to victory that day was not easy. Yang Yong-eun, who started the final round with Stewart Cink (51, USA) at 8-under par, made consecutive birdies on the 1st hole (par 4) and 2nd hole (par 5). Although he lost a stroke on the 7th hole (par 3), he immediately made an eagle on the 8th hole (par 5) to maintain the lead. Yang Yong-eun added two more birdies in the latter half to finish the game with 13-under par as the sole leader. However, Langer reduced his strokes by 7 strokes to tie the score, and the two players entered an extension. After Langer missed a 3-meter birdie putt on the first hole of the extension, Yang Yong-eun sank a 2-meter birdie putt to end the long match.
Yang Yong-eun, who is managing his weight by eating small meals and avoiding fried foods and carbonated drinks, said with a laugh, “Langer is called the embodiment of self-management. I want to manage my body thoroughly like Langer and play until I’m 60. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to play as well as Langer when I’m 67.”
Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]
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2024-09-10 02:13:30