3 Craziest Moments from the US PGA Championship

The US PGA is generally considered the runt of the Major Championship litter. But its still an opportunity for the greats to chalk up another major victory. Love it or hate it, it has produced some of the most dramatic moments in golf. Here are 3 of our favourites.

YE Yang, Hazeltine, 2009

Back in 2009 Tiger Woods had never lost a 54 hole lead in a major championship, but that was about to change. Teeing off with YE Yang from South Korea in the final round, Tiger was 2 shots ahead. But a chip in on 14 coupled with a rare Tiger error on 17, gave Yang the opportunity to close it out on the final hole. One of the most memorable shots in major history followed. A rescue over the tree to 8 feet finalised the golfing upset of the decade.

Rich Beem, Hazeltine, 2002

Rich Beem was the underdog, but he was no stranger to pressure. Once a phone salesman he shot 66 in the final round of Q School in 1998 to gain a PGA Tour Card. Fast forward to 2002 and he held off Steve Lowery in epic style for his second PGA Tour Win.

3 shots back from the leaders, Beem started well on Sunday, but Tiger was on the prowl. In fact it was this tournament where he hit his self proclaimed 'best shot ever'. It wasn’t enough to muscle Beem out of position though. He dropped a 40 footer for birdie on the 16th and would lift the Wanamaker trophy 2 holes later.

Dustin Johnson, Whistling Straits, 2010

In what is surely one of the craziest finishes in major history, Dustin Johnson had a 1 shot lead going down the final hole. After a wayward tee shot, he ventured up into the crowds to play his approach. Moving spectators along with bottles and cans to the side he addressed his shot on the sandy waste area, resting his club on the ground behind the ball. Johnson would go on to make a bogey, which looked to see him into a play off. But at the back of the 18th green, the bad news was broken, he would incur a 2 shot penalty for grounding his club in the 'bunker', and would miss out on the playoff. Kaymer would go on to clinch victory. Don’t worry too much, I think DJ is just fine.