Tiger Woods' Defeat at Hazeltine Ripe with Historical Significance

What do Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, and Sergio Garcia all have in common with Y.E. Yang?

They don’t look the same, they don’t walk the same, they don’t talk the same, and Yang has taken down Tiger Woods on Sunday afternoon at a major championship.

So, in essence, Yang has absolutely nothing in common with the likes of Mickelson, Harrington, Els, and Garcia other than that they are all members of the PGA Tour.  

Back in 1955, a driving range pro from rural Iowa by the name of Jack Fleck decided to go out and try his hand at the professional golfing tour.

Within six months, he defeated Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club just outside San Francisco.

The only reason this little piece of history is appearing in this article is because Fleck’s victory over Hogan and Yang’s victory over Woods are arguably the two greatest upsets in the history of the game.

What we witnessed on Sunday afternoon at Hazeltine could very well wind up being one of the most historically significant moments in Woods’ career.

No longer can we say that no one has ever stepped up and gone head-to-head with Woods.

No longer can we say that no one has ever taken a major championship away from Woods.

We are now given the chance to see how Woods overcomes adversity and defeat.  

Woods has gone major-less this season for the first time in five years, including a missed cut at the British Open and now the worst single defeat of his career at the PGA Championship.

Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, and Sam Snead, amongst others, have all overcome heartbreak and defeat on the golf course, so how will Woods react?

Will this loss to Yang leave some scar tissue and slip back into his mind at future majors?

Has this loss awoken the field to the fact the Woods is just a man and is beatable?

Or will this loss just add more motivation for an already highly motivated Woods to go out and completely dominate the 2010 majors?

What about the impact this will have on golf in Asia?

Will Yang's victory over Tiger Woods be the single most important event in the explosion of golf in Asia, similar to what Francis Ouimet's win over Harry Vardon at the 1913 U.S. Open did for golf in America?

This all remains to be seen.

However, one thing is certain: The armor has been chipped.

The history of golf and Woods’ career in particular were changed forever on Sunday when Yang’s birdie putt disappeared on the 72nd hole, along with Woods’ previously unscathed record when holding the lead in a major championship.

Fleck’s win over Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open will no longer be the one greatest upset that all other upsets are compared to; Yang now sits side-by-side with Fleck in that category.