PGA Championship upset and band training...

The final major of the year is in the history books and again history was made. We saw Tiger Woods play another phenomenal tournament, leading for three days and on track for his first major win of 2009... until Y.E. Yang swooped in out of nowhere and took home the major. A first for Yang and a first for Woods, stumbling down the stretch and not taking over a Sunday as we've grown accustomed to over the years.

This was another one of those PGA moments where fans see that even the best player in the world (and arguably the best of all time when it's said and done) can literally humanize himself. If you look at how many putts Tiger missed you see where this one slipped away from him - and that's the name of the game out here. That's golf; it happens to the best of them. People said the same thing about Tom Watson supposedly 'giving it away' to Stewart Cink. Again, not the case.

There are 72 holes out there and cliche as it may seem, it's not over until it's over. Yang held his composure, smiled at every turn and pulled out big shot after big shot with the tournament on the line. He never backed down to Tiger and conversely, Tiger never jumped all over him the way he has in past events, leaning on guys very early and setting the tone.

Three straight pars out the gate, a bogey on four and plus-two at the turn. Y.E. birdied three, was even at the turn and tossed up a tournament-changing eagle on fourteen. It was the type of shot we've come to expect from Tiger. This time around is was the underdog, again proving that on any given week any of these guys can get it done. They're all immensely talented.

Y.E. showed grace under pressure and as we've talked about again and again here, this is a mental game. Y.E. never flinched or let Tiger get into his head, like so many others have. Chalk that up to Tiger's less-than-dominant round or attribute it to his military background and ability to not flinch in the face of real pressure. Whatever the case, it all came to fruition this past Sunday.

Jim Nantz took a few opportunities to discuss Yang's dedication to fitness, which is obviously something I love to hear as a biomechanics coach. My good friend Dr. Craig Davies asked me for a set of my PowerBandz a few months back as he was working with Y.E. I use the PowerBandz with all my pros, as well having turned several other pros on to them.

It feels good to know that Y.E.'s dedication to fitness played a part in a thrilling Sunday at the 91st PGA Championship. I see him in the trailers every week when he's out here. I see he and Dr. Davies working on his strength, speed and balance. I see his dedication to band training - which is something I've discussed in this blog ad nauseam over the past few months. The PowerBandz allow him to mimic his swing mechanics, which in turn has allowed him to make that leap to 'next level' professional this past weekend.

Here's hoping Y.E.'s recent win serves as a reminder to others on the fence, not quite ready to make that commitment to biomechanics. It's proving itself, people. Get on board. Remember that when you're working on something on the course, take it back to your house... your gym... clubhouse... realize that there are tools out there which allow you to mimic exactly what you're doing on the course. Start this tomorrow and watch where you're game is at a few months from now.

Regarding my team, not a stellar week in Hazeltine, unfortunately. The guys were ready and nobody hit it poorly. I feel they had a hard time managing the speed of the greens and simply didn't get it done this week.

The fall finish and FedExCup are on deck, meaning there's a lot more golf to play - and some important golf, at that. Charlie Wi, Pat Perez, Ryuji Imada and Jason Dufner are my four guys in the hunt once the Playoffs are underway. As you know, players need to be in the top 125 entering this time of year for the Barclays... top 100 for the Deutsche Bank Championship a week later... top 70 for the BWM Championship a week later and top 30 for the Tour Championship.

My horse Mr. Perez is in all three except the Tour Championship, so he'll be one to watch these next few weeks as he looks to make a run and climb that ladder. Obviously his win in Palm Desert earlier in the year set the stage for where he's at right now. It's up to him to take it to that next level down the stretch.

Jason Gore, Chez Reavie and Tom Pernice Jr. are giving it a run in Greensboro this week and are trying to slide into that top 125. I wish them all the best this week as it'll most likely take a win or second place finish to get them where they need to be.

With the FedExCup behind us, it's a return to the west coast - Las Vegas and Scottsdale - which is a welcomed change of scenery mid-October. After that, a few more events and then we turn our focus to the off-season programs our guys will implement as they gear up for 2010.

Last but not least, some great things going here at D1 Athletics. Worked with pro surfer Jensen Callaway a few days back and proud to report that he's making huge strides with his blindfold training. I can't wait to really get into that with you readers when we have some more free time to dedicate.

For those of you curious about these techniques, start with this exercise. Stand on one leg, raise the other off the ground, hold it for thirty second and release. Now try it again eyes closed or blindfolded and attempt the same feat. You'll quickly what happens neurologically and how balance effects strength and movement.

I'll be out of town and offline this week, but I'll be ready to check back in from The Barclays. Stay tuned. -- Joey D.