GOLF HONDA CLASSIC: YE Yang of South Korea won the €4.43 million Honda Classic at PGA National by one stroke over American John Rollins yesterday.
The 37-year-old Yang, ranked 460th in the world, two-putted from 50 feet at the par-five 18th hole to complete a two-under-par 68 for a nine-under 271 total at Palm Beach Gardens.
He joined KJ Choi as the only South Koreans to win US PGA Tour events.
Rollins, playing in the group ahead of Yang, birdied the 18th for 67 and 272 and American Ben Crane shot 68 to finish third on 274.
Yang led by one stroke entering the final round and made three birdies in a row from the second hole before a birdie at the 12th gave him a four-shot lead.
Bogeys at the 15th and 17th, watery holes in a treacherous trio known as “The Bear Trap” on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, increased the pressure on Yang as he approached the 72nd hole with only a one-shot cushion.
A solid drive and layup on the 544-yard hole left him 111 yards short of the pin. Yang put his approach 50 feet left of the cup but his lag putt settled just a foot away and he rattled it home to claim the €780,000 top prize.
The victory also put Yang into next week’s world golf championship event at Doral and gave him a berth in next month’s Masters at Augusta National.
Rory McIlroy – still bidding to become the youngest winner in PGA Tour history – worked his way up the leaderboard as well, before consecutive bogeys to end his round left him tied for 13th on 278. “I’m pretty disappointed the way I finished,” McIlroy said.
“I got myself into a great position this afternoon and just let it slip.”
With that, the 19-year-old turned his attention quickly to Doral. If he wins there, he’ll top Johnny McDermott as the youngest tour winner ever; McDermott set the mark by winning the 1911 US Open.
“If I can just keep playing the way I have been, maybe just try and give myself a few more opportunities and try and limit my bogeys, I’ll hopefully have another good one next week,” McIlroy said.
Darren Clarke finished on 283 with a 74.
LPGA Tour: In Singapore, reigning British Women's Open champion Jiyai Shin stormed to a superb two-stroke victory over Australian Katherine Hull in the HSBC Women's Champions tournament.
Seven adrift at halfway and still six behind with a round to go at Tanah Merah, the tiny 20-year-old South Korean took first prize with her second successive 66 for an 11 under total of 277.
Shin, now with 26 professional wins to her name already, birdied the first four holes and then picked up further strokes on the 11th and 15th to put the pressure on Hull.
The overnight leader was four clear after turning in 34, but followed a bogey on the 10th by going out of bounds and running up a double bogey seven three holes later.
She dropped another stroke on the next, but a birdie at the 17th left her needing another to force a play-off.
Instead, however, the Australian Masters champion bogeyed for a bitterly disappointing 74.
Joint third were Americans Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford and also Brazil’s Angela Park, while world number one and defending champion Lorena Ochoa, winner by 11 last year, had to settle for a share of sixth spot.
ASIAN TOUR: Jyoti Randhawa secured his eighth Asian Tour victory by comfortably winning the Singha Thailand Open today.
The 36-year-old Indian carded a flawless five-under-par 65 for a 17-under 263 overall to finish two strokes ahead of Welshman Rhys Davies, who shot a 67 at Laguna Phuket Golf Club.
Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih finished three strokes behind Randhawa to take third with a 65 while SSP Chowrasia (69) of India was tied fourth alongside Wu Ashun (66) of China.
