Yang gets breakthrough at Honda Classic

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Y.E. Yang was first to finish at last year's Honda Classic.

This time, he finished first.

Alone in front before a harried finish, Yang shot a 2-under 68 Sunday to end up one shot ahead of John Rollins and pick up his first PGA Tour victory.

The Korean took command with three straight birdies on the front side and wouldn't fold, picking up a two-year exemption and a check for $1,008,000. With the win, he qualified for next week's CA Championship at Doral, plus earned an invitation to next month's Masters.

Yang played last year's final round at PGA National by himself, going off first and needing only 1 hour, 53 minutes to finish.

He was there until the very end this time, pumping his fist in the air when his 50-footer for birdie stopped a foot away from the cup, sealing the victory. He finished at 9-under 271.

For a guy whose claim to fame was beating Tiger Woods at the 2006 HSBC Champions in Shanghai, it was a moment to savor.

Rollins made birdie at the par-5 18th to get within two shots of Yang, who was one hole behind and in a greenside bunker at the par-3 17th. And when Yang's 10-footer for par tailed right and stopped short, the lead — four shots earlier in the day — was down to one.

He cringed when his third shot sailed off target at the finishing hole, but coolly two-putted for the win.

"From 50 feet, it's not easy to do that to win your first golf tournament," Rollins said. "My hat's off to him."

Rollins 67 was alone in second and he, like Yang, qualified for the CA Championship by moving into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings. Ben Crane 68 was third after finishing 6 under and Jeff Klauk 71, with 17 pars and one bogey was alone in fourth, another shot back.

"All in all, I have no complaints," Rollins said. "I did all I can do. Shot 3 under on championship Sunday and came up short, but I gave myself a chance."

There were 25 players who started the final round within six shots of Yang's lead, and some made early charges.

Robert Allenby started with two birdies in his first three holes and eventually got to 7 under, but never got going on the back side and finished 4 under, tied for fifth with Will MacKenzie 70, Fredrik Jacobson 70 and Scott Piercy 65.

Just like last year, when he was in contention during the Honda's final round before chipping onto a waterside pile of rocks — and then tossing his ball into the drink — at the 15th, Mark Calcavecchia's chances were all wet again.

This time, the two-time Honda winner's undoing came at the 11th, when he hit into a greenside hazard. He rolled up his right pant leg, hacked the ball out of some muck and salvaged a bogey, but got no closer and shot 73.

Rory McIlroy — bidding to become the youngest winner in PGA Tour history — worked his way up the leaderboard as well, before consecutive bogeys to end his round left him tied for 13th.

Notes:@ The last person to win the Honda by more than two shots was Calcavecchia, who beat Vijay Singh by three in 1998. ... Klauk had a chance to chip in at the 14th hole for the third straight day, but missed by about a foot. ... Defending champion Ernie Els shot 66 and finished tied for 22nd.





Kasahara