Yang takes lead from Woods at PGA

CHASKA, Minn. — Now it’s Tiger’s turn to chase.

Y.E. Yang, in contention at a major championship for the first time, leads Tiger Woods by a stroke with three holes to play at the PGA Championship on Sunday afternoon. Yang is at 8 under; no one else is within four strokes of Woods.

Woods began the day with a two-stroke lead and a lot of history on his side. He’s a daunting 36-1 when he has the lead going into the final round of a tournament, including 14-0 at the majors. Only once has he lost a tournament when leading by two shots or more — and that was nine years ago.

But Woods looks a little bit off — he’s missed several makable birdie putts — while Yang has refused to wilt in the glare of playing with the world’s No. 1. Quite the opposite, in fact, chipping in from the greenside rough for an eagle on the par-4 14th to pull in front of Woods.

Woods had a chance to tie it up with a 15-footer on 15, but it skirted the edge of the cup.

Yang beat Woods three years ago by two shots to win the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, but they weren’t playing in the same group. And it wasn’t a major.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington dropped out of contention with an 8 on the par-3 eighth, putting the ball in the water not once, but twice. U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, who was within a stroke of Woods at one point, fell back to 3 under after three late bogeys on the back nine.

Woods’ outright lead had evaporated by the fourth hole. Yang birdied the par-5 third after getting the approach shot Woods had wanted, and then Woods missed a 4-footer for par on the par-3 fourth.

Woods had the lead by himself again when Yang bogeyed the fifth hole. He chipped within 8 feet from the trees, but rolled the par putt past the hole.

But Woods dropped back into a tie with Yang again on the par-3 eighth.

In the trap off the tee, he blasted out over the green, ending up on the fringe. His 15-footer for par looked like it was going to be good, but it curled away just below the cup and Woods had to take bogey.

He hasn’t birdied a par 3 all week.

Still, it was far better than what happened to Harrington on the eighth.

One shot behind Woods when he went to the tee, the three-time major winner hit his tee shot into the water, then nearly hit playing partner Henrik Stenson left of the green. His fourth shot sailed well over the green and into the water and he couldn’t get out of the rough on his sixth shot, advancing the ball only a few feet.

He finally made a 5-foot putt for the quintuple bogey. Despite being six shots out of the lead, Harrington managed a smile for fans as he left the green.

A week ago, Harrington had a one-shot lead over Woods at Firestone when he chipped over the 16th green and into the water while making a triple-bogey 8.