USPGA Championship flashback: Yang 2009

The final day of the 2009 USPGA Championship threw up what will go down as one of the biggest shocks in the history of golf.

Prior to the final day Tiger Woods had never lost a Major from a leading position going into the last round. There had also never been an Asian winner of a Major in golf. Things were about to change.

Going into the last round Woods had built a two-shot lead with three sub-par rounds and was sat at the top of the leaderboard on eight-under-par. South-Korean Y.E. Yang was lying in second place and would go out in the last group with the dominant American.

Heading into the back nine the pair were tied after Woods uncharacteristically dropped two shots on the front nine with bogeys at both par-3 holes.

Woods birdied the 11th to open up a one-shot lead but followed it up with a bogey at 12. Yang in the meantime was playing solid golf, making par after par.

The turning point would come at the 14th. With the pair tied for the lead at six under they both went for the short par-4 green with their drives. Woods found a bunker to the right and Yang came up short.

Woods would make birdie but Yang went one better, chipping in for eagle to take the lead by one. Both bogied the par-3 17th meaning Yang would go down the last needing to match Woods for a momentous victory.

He would go one better. With Woods struggling and ending up with a bogey, shooting a final round three-over-par 75, Yang produced a magnificent approach to set up a birdie that gave him victory by three strokes. Woods had been beaten and Yang became the first Asian Major winner in the history of golf.

However, another story was emerging from Hazeltine National Golf Club, tied for third place was a young Rory McIlroy making his USPGA Championship debut and he would follow it up the following year at Whistling Straits with another third place.