YE Yang

As part of Ballantine’s campaign about the importance of character in golf, we interviewed some of the biggest names in the game about the moments when true character has been revealed on the golf course. This month, Korean YE Yang, who memorably held off Tiger Woods at the 2008 US PGA Championship to become the first Asian winner of a major.

Watson was obviously disappointed by the loss, but he was able to joke about it later on. Looking at him, what do you think his reaction revealed about his character?

He has plenty of experience. He has won a lot of tournaments in his career and he's lost a few, sometimes after a play-off. I guess because of his rich experience he could even admit to his mistakes when he lost.

Tom Watson might have thought that he did well considering his age and the difficulty of the game. Of course, he would be upset about his loss, but his lifelong experience made him able to accept his failure and to even make a joke about it.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez, last year’s Ballantine’s Championship runner-up and a two-time winner of the Hong Kong Open, is famous for his flamboyant personality. What do you admire about him?

Jiménez likes cigars and he loves golf. People can see that when they watch him playing on TV. When you meet him you can definitely feel that. He’s a golfer who really loves golf. I would like to enjoy golf as much as he does. It looks nice that he is very relaxed while playing.

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Written by The Editors

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

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