Yang Yong-eun

Yang was born in the island province of Jeju-do.{{cite news |date=2014 |title=Y. E. Yang |url=https://www.pgatour.com/players/player.24663.y-e--yang.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016133222/http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.24663.y-e--yang.html |archive-date=2014-10-16 |work=PGA Tour}}{{cite news |date=April 20, 2010 |title=Yang slightly nervous about playing on home soil |url=https://www.golf.com/ap-news/yang-slightly-nervous-about-playing-home-soil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303175853/https://www.golf.com/ap-news/yang-slightly-nervous-about-playing-home-soil |archive-date=2014-03-03 |work=Golf.com}} 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.{{Cite web |date=17 August 2009 |title=Yang's life changed forever with win over Tiger |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32442691/ns/sports-golf/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818024530/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32442691/ns/sports-golf/ |archive-date=18 August 2009 |access-date=17 August 2009 |work=NBC Sports |agency=Associated Press}} 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{{Cite web |last=Lerner |first=Rich |date=17 August 2009 |title=What's Next for Y.E. Yang? |url=http://www.thegolfchannel.com/tour-insider/whats-next-for-ye-yang-31470/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222042735/http://www.thegolfchannel.com/tour-insider/whats-next-for-ye-yang-31470/ |archive-date=2010-02-22 |access-date=19 August 2009 |publisher=The Golf Channel}} while he was learning to use an excavator for a construction company.{{Cite web |date=17 August 2009 |title=PGA Championship, 'Wild' Woods |url=http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/08/17/2009081700376.html?Dep0=chosunnews&Dep1=related&Dep2=related_all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214210141/http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/08/17/2009081700376.html?Dep0=chosunnews&Dep1=related&Dep2=related_all |archive-date=2017-02-14 |access-date=17 August 2009 |work=The Chosun Ilbo |language=ko}} After recovering from his knee injury, he began mandatory service in the South Korean military at the age of 21.

{{BLP sources section|date=August 2016}}

On the conclusion of his military service, Yang 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.

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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/sports/golf/17pga.html |title=Y. E. Yang Shocks Woods to Win at P.G.A. |work=The New York Times |date=16 August 2009 |access-date=16 August 2009 | first=Larry | last=Dorman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217072844/http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/sports/golf/17pga.html&OQ=_rQ3D1&OP=448ec941Q2FQ2AjXQ51Q2AQ3CQ20,tyQ20Q20POQ2AOQ3DQ3DQ27Q2AQ3DQ23Q2ALvQ2AtkQ20yPtQ2A5Q20!RQ2ALvk5Q26Q240PQ22! |archive-date=2009-12-17 |url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8204549.stm |title=Yang catches Woods for USPGA win |work=BBC Sport |date=16 August 2009 |access-date=16 August 2009}} Yang was ranked 110th worldwide prior to the tournament, but moved up to 34th after the victory.{{cite news |title=Yang beats Tiger and becomes first Asian major winner |url=http://www.owgr.com/NEWS/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=6637919&itype=421 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=August 17, 2009}} 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.{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0419/1224268629466.html|title=Yang eases the pressure with victory|date=19 April 2010|newspaper=The Irish Times |publisher=The Irish Times Limited|access-date=20 April 2010}} 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.

File:2016 Lyoness Open - Y. E. Yang (27526277526).jpg.]]

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.{{Cite web |first=Ben |last=Morse |title=Y.E. Yang, the man who beat Tiger Woods to win the 2009 PGA Championship, is disqualified |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/21/golf/y-e-yang-disqualified-pga-championship-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=2021-05-22 |work=CNN|date=21 May 2021 }}

He is an active owner of an indoor golf range in the Koreatown section of Dallas.{{Cite web |author=Nichols, Bill |date=8 April 2010 |title=Since historic win, Korean golfer finds balance with family in Southlake, at Dallas driving range |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/golf/stories/040810dnspomasterslede.3f4ca66.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629121552/http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/golf/headlines/20100407-Since-historic-win-Korean-golfer-146.ece |archive-date=2011-06-29 |publisher=The Dallas Morning News}}

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

Yang is married to Young-Joo Park and has three sons.

He currently resides in Southlake, Texas, near fellow South Korean PGA player K. J. Choi.

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 playoff record (0–1)

¹Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

¹Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

²Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

OneAsia Tour playoff record (0–1)

¹Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour

²Co-sanctioned by the OneAsia Tour

Korean Tour playoff record (1–0)

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" = tied

DQ = disqualified

NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

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

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|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.

Professional

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

• 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

{{Reflist}}

• {{KoreanTour player|00000276|YE Yang}}
• {{JapanTour player|10905|Y E Yang}}
• {{PGATour player|24663|Y.E. Yang}}
• {{EuroTour player|31305|Y.E. Yang}}
• {{AsianTour player|102663|Y.E. Yang}}
• {{OWGR|6629|Y.E. Yang}}

{{PGA Champions}}

{{navboxes|title=Yang Yong-eun in the Presidents Cup

|list1=

{{2009 International Presidents Cup team}}

{{2011 International Presidents Cup team}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Yong-eun}}

Category:South Korean male golfers

Category:Japan Golf Tour golfers

Category:European Tour golfers

Category:PGA Tour golfers

Category:PGA Tour Champions golfers

Category:Winners of men's major golf championships

Category:Golfers from Dallas

Category:South Korean expatriates in New Zealand

Category:South Korean expatriates in the United States

Category:Sportspeople from Jeju Province

Category:South Korean Buddhists

Category:People from Seogwipo

Category:1972 births

Category:Living people

Category:Presidents Cup competitors for International