Asia hails Yang's PGA Championship win

SINGAPORE, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's Yang Young-eun's win at the 91st PGA Championship has once again underlined the growing strength of the game in Asia with the Asian Tour playing a big role in the development of the game in the continent.

Voted Korean PGA Tour rookie of the year in 1999, Yang honed his game in Asia where he played regularly from 1999 to 2003 before moving on to Japan where he won five titles.

The South Korean's big break on the Asian Tour came in 2006 when he won his maiden title at the Kolon Hana Bank Korea Open.

The year was made even more memorable when he won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai by beating Tiger Woods in an elite field that included 10 of the world's top-20 players.

Yang followed the footsteps of compatriot and Asian Tour' s honorary member, K.J Choi by moving to the U.S. PGA Tour after earning his Tour card from Qualifying School in 2007.

Asia has been yearning for a Major champion since Lu Liang-huan of Chinese Taipei came close with a runner-up finish to Lee Trevino at Royal Birkdale in 1971 and Yang has now inked his place in history following his three-shot victory over Woods at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday.

Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han hailed Yang's landmark win and believes that it has now set the stage for more Asian golfers to make their breakthrough on the world stage.