Make no mistake about it: Y.E. Yang deserved to win the PGA Championship today.

Tiger Woods did not have his best game and for the first time in a major, the rest of the field refused to fade in his presense.

Many of them faded and relatively quickly. All except Yang, who made shot after brilliant shot. Even bad shots landed perfectly and kept him in the game. Yang, like an underdog boxer, also recognized his opening. On the 14th hole, tied with Woods, he made the chip shot of the round and weekend. It was an eagle that put him up by two and put the pressure on Woods, who made birdie to close the gap to one, but could not tie in the final holes.

Woods now is 14-1 when leading a major after 54 holes. Every time it looked like Woods would make a charge and retake control of the event, an iron shot landed in the middle of the green and putts rolled around the edges, but not into the hole. For the first time, Woods didn't seem to have the shot when it counted the most.

Surprise, surprise, Woods is human. He is not the indestructible machine so many of us had thought, who was going to charge past Jack Nicklaus' records with ease. He is suseptible to the same bad luck as the rest of the PGA Tour and he is not able to summon his greatness any time he needs it.

Yang's win likely does not signal a rival for Woods, who has won all his majors without an equal. But it may signal to the rest of the world that Woods is not untouchable. Assuming Woods will win if he is in the final group is no longer an option.

And this should be a motivator for Woods as well. He seemed to be playing conservatively during the third and final rounds. His steady play did not result in others faltering. Woods may have to force himself to play more aggressively while trying to finish a tournament.

This will make professional golf more interesting in the long run. The best player cannot win every tournament, or every major, he attempts. For the health of the game, there has to be good competition. Y.E. Yang, hopefully can inspire others to follow his lead.