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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 6, 2009

Yong-Eun Yang

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

DAVE SENKO: Maybe just talk a little about your day, 65 today, 5-under, and right now you're our leader at 7-under.
YONG-EUN YANG: Overall today, starting out, I figured if I shoot 2-under, I would be in the Top-10.
I just told myself, just needed to be patient out there and I started feeling comfortable. The front nine was nothing too spectacular, but on the back nine when I started getting those birdies, I felt really comfortable.

Q. Are you known as the guy who beat Tiger Woods, and how do you feel about that?
YONG-EUN YANG: Yeah, Tiger Woods is obviously the No. 1 player in the world. And you know, prior to my win at the HSBC Champions in 2006, people in Korea knew me; I was Rookie of the Year on the Korean Tour. But outside of Korea, people didn't really know me at all.
But after beating Tiger at the HSBC, people started recognizing me, not only in Korea, but outside of Korea, as well. Personally, to be able to say as a fact that I've beaten Tiger at a tournament and to be mentioned in the same context as Tiger, for me, it's very honorable, and also I'm very happy about that.

Q. Would you like to be known for something besides that? How significant would a PGA TOUR victory be for you and be known for something other than the HSBC?
YONG-EUN YANG: Yeah, definitely. I mean, when I first started out playing golf, I didn't start golf knowing that I would be playing on a tour. The reason I started was I figured it was a way of living. I just wanted to have a job, being a teaching professional.
But as I got more deeper into golf, I started getting better. That naturally led me to taking membership on the Korean Tour, and as I improved on the Korean Tour, I moved on to the Japan Tour and started winning in Korea and I won on the Asian Tour and I started winning on the Japan Tour and then I won on the European Tour.
So I've gradually elevated myself to have better success as my game grew. Obviously to top it off with a PGA TOUR victory, which has been the ultimate dream to play for me, it would be a dream come true.

Q. What are the specific memories of the win against Tiger? Was it head-to-head? Did you have to hold him off late? Were you playing with him?
YONG-EUN YANG: Back then I remember Tiger was two groups ahead of me. I was on the 16th hole, and I think he was just finishing up the last hole on 18. I had bogeyed 16, and I had then bogeyed 17.
So my lead was down to I think two shots. Goosen was I believe at 12-under, and he had hit his third shot into the water on the final hole. I thought, I didn't want to do the same thing. So I hit my shot really hard, and I had like a 30-meter putt left, and I was able to 2-putt it and close it off with a win. So that's what I remember.

Q. How fortunate do you feel that this round was in before it got too dark to finish?
YONG-EUN YANG: Yeah, I feel good, definitely, because I was concerned that we might not be able to get it in. Then I would have to wake up early and then it would have been another tough day for me tomorrow.
But when I started the round today, I didn't say to myself, oh, I want to play well. I just said, hey, I just want to shoot 1- or 2-under, be in contention, and hopefully finish the round today. So I'm very happy to finish the round today.

Q. There are so many Korean women doing so well on the LPGA; why haven't the Korean men caught up? And do you expect in time that we will see more Korean men making their way over here like the Korean women have?
YONG-EUN YANG: I would just summarize in three key aspects. In my opinion, I think, first of all, Korean men have to serve military for two years.
So when you're in your 20s at the prime of your golfing career, not to be able to -- to be taken away to military and not playing golf for two years, I think it takes you out of the routine, the feel that you had about the game out. And then when you come back after your military service and try to pick it up again, it takes a while to do that. Definitely that's the biggest issue.
Secondly, when you're playing -- there's a lot of driving ranges in Korea, but when you're playing golf tournaments, some of the courses don't even have driving ranges. So you're finding before you go out to the golf course to play your round, people have to stop by an outdoor range somewhere else and then drive to the golf course. So that it's not the ideal environment to play competitive golf. Even a lot of touring pros still practice on artificial mattresses.
I think lastly, I don't think there's as much of a physical or talent differentiation on the women's tour as there is on the men's tour. I think on the women's tour, they have realized the successes of Se Ri Pak, and they believe that if someone like her can be as successful, who is physically about the same size as me, then they are motivated. That's why you've seen a lot of the women players come over to the USA and challenge on the LPGA Tour.
On the men's tour, I think the Korean men know that the competition is a lot -- the depth of the players are a lot deeper. The physical aspect; I think they just get too scared, and they don't even give themselves a chance to even come and try the Q-School.
So even before the challenge starts, you find the young men just giving up. So I think once they overcome that, once they realize that they can compete out here, then it will change.

Q. Does Tiger remember you or know you from the win in 2006?
YONG-EUN YANG: A few months after the HSBC, I saw Tiger at a tournament, it was one of the World Golf Championships tournaments, and I ran into him. He remembered my name and we had said hi. So, yeah.
DAVE SENKO: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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