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haska, Minnesota, population 17,449 read the sign that welcomed the 156 competitors to the 91st PGA Championship.

The atmosphere at Hazeltine National Golf Club was unmistakable, a major was about to be contested. The course was in immaculate condition, Lake Hazeltine on its shore sat ready to receive the misfortunes of players who would lose a wager with the wind.

And yes, countless thousands were in place ready to cheer their favorite player, perhaps vicariously to victory.

With spectacular weather and low winds, round 1 registered remarkable play with Tiger Woods carding a bogey free 5-under 67, with 3 of his five birdies coming from Hazeltine's enormously long par 5s averaging 579 meters.

Paired with Tiger was the gritty Irishman and defending PGA champion, Padraig Harrington.

Tiger picked his spots and shots with patience and the meticulous disposition of a trained surgeon. Padraig Harrington was in hot pursuit carding a 68 (4 under) and not wishing to be denied his 4th and defining major win.

David Toms another past PGA Championship winner posted an impressive 3 under 69 with his silky smooth putting stroke.

The wind finally made an unwelcome appearance in the 2nd round with many a player struggling in the wind. Woods 67 of round one was yesterday's news when he could only muster a 70 (2-under par) and a cumulative 7 under after round 2.

Interestingly enough with a faltering field of players he managed to extend his lead to 4 strokes as Harrington struggled to finish the day with a 73 (1-over par) and cumulative 3-under.

The cut came at 4-over par with a promising 7 Asians out of 10 making the line.

Included were Asian stalwarts, KJ Choi, YE Yang both of Korea and the recovering Jeev Singh of India.

Woods round was salvaged with a critical 15 foot putt to save par on 12. When I asked him in the interview room how significant the putt was in turning things around: "Absolutely.

I 3-putted the 10th. Then looked like I might 3-putt 11, made a good putt there. And 12, I didn't want to drop a shot there because now were playing 13 which is not playing easy. So I could have easily made three straight bogeys there, but only made one bogey and two good par putts."

Saturday brought another day of fine weather. The winds were ever present though.

Woods struggled throughout the day but managed a 71 (1-under par) to take a 2-stroke lead into Sunday at 8-under par.

However, his inability to create some real distance between the field and himself would come back to haunt him. In second place were his pursuers, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) who came back to shoot a 2-under par 70 to tie for 2nd place with YE Yang of Korea who shot an incredible 5-under par in severe wind. In 14 majors with the lead going into Sunday, Woods has never lost. The pundits were practically engraving his name on the Wannamaker trophy when fate tapped on their shoulders to remind them that Woods is human after all.

Yang ,who was paired with Tiger on Sunday, was unfazed. Yang exhibited a sense of humor when he said: "My first time playing with him, *Tiger* so I'll try not to go over par."

In 2006 in Shanghai, China, he had tasted victory in the HSBC Champions tournament with Tiger in the field. Yang was behind on Sunday, but played as if he had the lead.

Time after time, on hole after hole, Tiger's putter would betray him as he missed a slew of putts that were considered routine.

Yang, in the meantime, made the most spectacular play of the day with an eagle chip into the hole on the par 4, 14th hole to take a one stroke lead.

Yang held together with steely nerves to hit a brilliant shot to 8 ft. on 16, holding off the blustery winds of Lake Hazeltine. He left the green with a 1 stroke lead and there began the possibility that Asia would have its first ever major winner. Tiger and Yang both bogeyed the 17th hole, as Yang nursed his 1 stroke lead to the 18th tee. Yang played an aggressive tee shot on 18 which landed in the first cut of rough.

Instead of playing conservatively, he challenged the green with a brilliant 3 iron to about 8 feet. Tiger, on the other hand, pulled his shot from the fairway into the rough just off the green. His futile attempt at a chip in to tie Yang ran past and so did his hopes for his 15th major championship.

Yang closed the deal with an amazing birdie on 18 to become the first Asian man to win a major golf championship and beating the great Tiger Woods.

When asked what impact his win would have for golfing in Korea and Asia he replied through a translator: "I hope this win would be as significant, something quite parallel to an impact both to golf in Korea as well as golf in Asia so that all the young golfers, Korean and Asian, would probably build their dreams and expand their horizons a bit with this win."

When Yang's caddie AJ Montecinos was asked why he knew Yang would not back down he said: "He's just not scared. He's a world-class player, and you know, he's got nothing to lose. He said, "I'm not nervous".

We can sum it up by saying, he had nothing to lose, and all of Asia to gain.