Blog: Yang hinges, holds, beats Tiger at Hazeltine

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Y.E. Yang made a masterful shot on No. 14 on Sunday to win the PGA Championship.

Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and now Y.E. Yang rounds out the crowd of major championship winners in 2009. Not the four names I had in the pool at the golf course but, nevertheless, they are the champions and they certainly have provided some great golf on their way to the trophy presentations.

Listen to Travis Fulton

PGA TOUR Golf Academy's Travis Fulton breaks down the keys to Y.E. Yang's win on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

Perhaps only Y.E. Yang's swing coach, Brian Mogg was the only other person that thought Yang could realistically win this week and hold off the world's No. 1 player, Tiger Woods. Not only did Yang hold off Tiger but he slammed the door with the greatest hybrid shot ever hit in a major to birdie the 72nd hole to seal the deal.

Yang was very impressive on Sunday as it was actually kind of neat to see someone stand up and knock off Tiger. It had to happen eventually, as Tiger was 14-for-14 at major championships when holding at least a share of the lead heading into Sunday. However, like all great streaks in sports, it eventually had to come to an end. This win is now Yang's second this season on the PGA TOUR and it will be interesting to see what comes next for the South Korean who shocked the golf world at Hazeltine.

What Can We Learn
The shot that Yang will look back on during the final round will be the wedge he holed from just off the green on the par-4 14th. This eagle late in the round is exactly what Yang needed to gain some momentum heading into the final four holes.

At the TOUR Academies, this short greenside pitch is a shot we call the Hinge & Hold. I have discussed this shot before, but this week I want to elaborate on how Yang pulled it off late in the day on Sunday.

When faced with a short greenside pitch like Yang had on the 14th hole, a player has a couple of options in how they use the lead hand during the swing. The first allows for a slightly shallower angle of approach resulting in a more "U" shaped swing, where the second creates a steeper angle of approach resulting in a more "V" shaped motion. Both motions can create great shots and can help overcome different situations around the green.

At the 14th, Yang elected the "U" shape pitch. The "U" shape pitch is recommended from a good lie that allows for some roll once on the green. You may have noticed during the backswing that Yang created some arm swing with very little wrist cock in the lead wrist. His lower body remained relatively quite during the backswing with very little shoulder turn. This stability in the body is important and will promote the club head to return accurately to the golf ball on the downswing.

With Yang's lead wrist a bit more passive during the backswing, the club head still worked up and down but resulted in a shallower angle of approach into the ball versus the "V" shape motion described below. This was a perfect shot selection considering he had a good lie with some green to work with and the ball was on a slight slope.

On the downswing as the club head approached the ball, Yang engaged the body by rotating the torso towards the target. One of the most common errors in the short game is for the body to not turn towards the target. This usually leads to the hands becoming overactive on the downswing disrupting a good impact. Yang maintained the angles in the wrist and turned through with his torso watching the ball roll into the cup.

Another option a player has is the "V" shaped motion which is recommended from a bad lie or out of thick rough. At Hazeltine, we saw a lot of these shots as the rough was long and wet. This situation requires a steeper angle of approach which resembles that of the letter "V". Here is how this shot differs from the "U"-shaped swing.

During the backswing, minimize the arm swing while abruptly cocking the lead wrist. This backswing coupled with a very stable body will insure solid contact. With the lead wrist cocking more the club head will work upwards more quickly during the backswing and will feel steeper in its approach back to the ball. This angle resembles -- and will feel like -- the shape of the letter "V". Once again, as the club head approaches the ball, engage the body by turning the torso towards the target. With the ball in the rough, it is pivotal that the shoulders and chest open up towards the target.

Both the "U" and "V"-shape pitch are very handy shots to have in your arsenal. They look and feel noticeably different and the ball will certainly react differently as well. Next time you go to the practice facility, work on both the "U" and "V" shape wedge shot with your 56-degree wedge. Take note how the trajectory and spin differs and when you might use one or both of them during your next round.

Just Because
What a big week it was for the game of golf and its popularity all around the world. Not only was the game of golf recommended to be a new sport in the Summer Olympics starting in 2016, we now have our first Asian winner of a major championship. Both accomplishments are just more examples of the continued globalization of this great sport.

Currently, there are many events on the PGA TOUR that bring out the best golf from players all over the world. In October is the Presidents Cup where the United States takes on the world (minus Europe) and then of course alternating years is the always heated Ryder Cup where the United States goes head-to-head with Europe. In addition, each year there are three World Golf Championship events where Geoff Ogilvy from Australia, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods from the Unite States took the WGC events titles this year. All of these events are such great events and soon we will add the Olympic venue to this schedule

Great stuff ... USA! USA! USA!