Asian star replaces coach with YouTube

Asia’s only major-winner Y.E. Yang said yesterday he had stopped using a coach and is instead picking up tips from YouTube as he bids to recover his best form.

The South Korean star said he had been trying to improve his swing by consulting the video-sharing site since splitting with his coach during last season.

But he admitted the change in tack may be to blame for a barren spell with zero wins so far this year.

“I’ve tried to put a lot of methodology into it,” Yang told journalists before the Singapore Open.

“I’ve researched quite a few players, tried to emulate some of the good things that I see on YouTube. The swing plane, how I grab my club... those are probably the biggest changes.

“I’ve put more focus on the technical aspects of my game whereas previously I’ve been more of a feel player.”

Yang said he was happy with his progress despite being on course for his worst season since 2008, the year before he made history by winning the 2009 PGA Championship.

“Throughout probably a year-and-a-half now I’ve been self-taught. I have no coach right now,” he said.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been teaching myself that I haven’t had as good results as 2009, but I’m still confident and very satisfied with where I’m heading to.”

Yang is winless since last year’s Korean Open, which was his second victory of the 2010 season. In 2009 he won the Honda Classic alongside his epochal PGA Championship triumph.

Yang, 39, also backed South Korea’s bid to host the 2015 Presidents Cup, and said the presence of three Korean players in this year’s edition showed they could match the runaway success of the country’s women.

“I think it is a testament to how much Korean golf has developed in the past few years,” said Yang, who will line up alongside K.J. Choi and Kim Kyung-Tae this month in Australia.

“It is something I am very proud of and something I want to see a lot more of. It gives you pride to say the men’s side of Korean golf is also on the map.

“From a personal perspective having three people to talk to apart from just myself is great.”

He added that golf-crazy Koreans would welcome the 2015 event “with open arms”.

“Korea is very well prepared to host a tournament of that level. I think the market and the golf demographic have matured a lot in the past few years to hold it,” Yang said.

“And in the next four years it will develop more. I sincerely hope Korea will win the bid.”