What’s up with Koreans Playing Well with Tiger Woods?

First, it was Y.E. Yang at the 2009 PGA Championship. Then, K.J. Choi just outplayed Tiger Woods at the 2010 Masters. Both Korean men went against the norm and simply outplayed Woods during their pairings at these past two major championships. It’s something that rarely happens. Just look at guys like Aaron Baddeley, Sergio Garcia, Alex Cejka, and a number of others, who have all performed miserably in past final-round pairings with Tiger Woods.

However, Y.E. Yang of South Korea changed everything in the 2009 PGA Championship. Prior to this tournament, Woods had been 14-of 14 when holding at least a share of the lead heading into the final round of a major. Woods led Yang by two shots, with several others lurking, heading into the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship, and it seemed almost inevitable that this would be another victory lap. After all, Yang had only won one PGA Tour tournament, though he did outlast Woods to win the 2006 HSBC Champions Tournament.

Still, this was Tiger Woods, arguably the most intimidating, respected athlete the world has ever seen. Woods was indestructible. He was on a mission to catch Nicklaus’s record of 18 major championships, which he trailed by four. The 2009 PGA Tournament was Woods’s to lose, as there was no real threat to catch him. However, everything changed in this one unforgettable round.

From the opening tee shot, Yang showed much more composure than Woods, as he consistently drove the ball into the fairway. Woods, on the other hand, could not find his swing, as his shots landed all over the place. Thus, Woods faltered back to 6-under through nine holes and shared the lead with Yang heading into the back nine.

Then, with both players tied through 13 holes, the tide finally turned in the 14th hole, a drivable par 4. Both players reached the front edge of the green on the tee shot. From the fringe, Yang was able to sink in a 75-foot chip shot for an eagle and an outright lead. Woods followed up Yang’s heroics with a birdie of his own, but he relinquished his precious lead. With Yang up one heading to the final hole, the Korean hit one of the greatest approach shots in major championship history, as his 220 yard shot landed within nine feet of the hole. He went on to sink the putt and win the championship by three shots, with Woods bogeying that hole.

A similar performance occurred also at the 2010 Masters, as Woods was clearly outplayed by fellow partner K.J. Choi, as these two were paired together for four straight days. Although both men shot the exact same scores, Choi clearly had the far better week and had a much greater chance at winning the tournament than Woods, especially in the final day. During the final round, Choi hit each of his first 13 possible fairways, while Woods drove the ball all over the place. In fact, at one point in the final round, Choi held a share of the lead on the back nine, before faltering down the stretch.

Nonetheless, Choi played exceptionally well, despite playing through all of the distractions presented by Woods’ off-course issues. He maintained his composure through the entire tournament, as Woods was the one who was rattled with all of the commotion.

Thus, both Korean men held their own and played the best golf of their careers alongside Tiger Woods. Neither Korean golfer was intimidated by Woods, as they played very fundamentally sound golf. They did not take any unnecessary chances and used a more conservative approach to frustrate Woods and execute their game plan. In the future, other golfers should clearly replicate these Koreans’ approach to the game when they are partnered with Woods.