Yang Yong-eun's shocking upset over Tiger Woods in the 2009 PGA Championship made him the first Asian to win a major title and elevated him to rock-star status in his native South Korea.
Case in point is the reception he received when he returned to his hometown on Jeju Island where he had to have a half dozen body guards to protect him from the mobs of fans wanting to get a piece of him.
"At one point I was walking up front and the bodyguards couldn't catch up. I looked back and I was trying to figure out what was going on," Yang said.
"And it turns out all their jackets and suits were all ripped up because there were so many fans that all wanted to get my autograph.
"No one was hurt but it was kind of funny to see those big body guards and their clothes getting ripped like that."
Yang may be a national hero in South Korea but he won't get that type of treatment at this week's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. Despite his being the defending champion, just a handful of reporters showed up for Yang's pre-tournament news conference on Wednesday.
"It has been a year since my PGA win and maybe I'm kind of out of the spotlight a little bit," Yang said. "And for the past year I haven't been doing that great and maybe people think that I may not win this one again.
"So in that respect maybe that's why I am flying under the radar."
Yang is hoping that a return to the PGA Championship will be a remedy for a run of lackluster performances in 2010.
So far this year, Yang has made 13 of 17 cuts but only finished in the top 10 twice. His best result was a third at the Phoenix Open in Feburary. He finished tied for eighth at The Masters, tied for 60th at the British Open and missed the cut at the US Open.
"Last year I wanted to win and I was confident about my ability to play. Compare that to this year and I feel I have lost my rhythm a little bit and my confidence may not be as high as it was last year."
There are 11 former winners, including Yang, competing in the PGA Championship but if history is an indication then unless your name is Tiger Woods or Vijay Singh winning a second will be no easy task. Woods has won the tournament four times and Singh twice, including 2004 the last time it was held at Whistling Straits.
Yang is in a threesome with Woods and Singh for the first two rounds of the final major of the season.
"I am playing with two legendary golfers," Yang said. "The next two days will be ones I will remember for the rest of my life.
"I hope to go out there and have fun and enjoy the experience."
The annual tradition at this tournament is to have a Tuesday night dinner which the defending champ gets to host and choose the menu. Yang even had help from the South Korea's first lady in picking the dishes.
Yang treated his golfing peers at the champions dinner to authentic Korean cuisine, including Kimchi (a seasoned vegetable dish) and kai bi (grilled short ribs) and plenty of Korean style rice.
"I was glad to be able to showcase Korean cuisine to the champions last night," he said.
Copyright 2010 AFP American Edition
