Who would have thought it possible? The 37-year-old son of an orange farmer from South Korea taking on and beating Tiger Woods in his own backyard to become the first Asian player to win a major championship.

The stunning performance by Yang Yong Eun to snatch the US PGA Championship from under the nose of the world No 1 at Hazeltine National, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday will not only live long in the memory, but should have a farreaching impact on the sport in South Korea and throughout Asia, the like of which has never been seen.

Soon after his three-shot victory, in which he had overhauled a deficit of two to Woods at the start of the final round, Yang was taking a congratulatory call from Lee Myung Bak, the President of South Korean. He will return home to a hero’s welcome.

In recent years the world of golf has grown accustomed to Koreans dominating the women’s game. The spur to their success had been Se Ri Pak, who, at 20, won two major championships within months of arriving in the United States in 1998. Now there are 47 Korean women playing on the LPGA Tour, most driven on by their accompanying parents, a fearsome work ethic and the chance to earn good money. Back home, many of them are fêted like superstars.

“You look at the Koreans and those girls are starting out with perfect swings,” Juli Inkster, the 49-year-old American golfer, said. “That’s all they do. They don’t even go to school. They just play golf. A 14-year-old Korean is going to beat the stuffing out of a 14-year-old American.”

Could the same happen among the men? It is unlikely because the men’s game worldwide has much more strength in depth. However, Yang’s victory will spur on his nation in the same way that golf in Britain and Europe was given a kick-start by the exploits of Tony Jacklin and Severiano Ballesteros in the 1970s and 1980s. It could mean that in the long term the sport’s axis will shift away from the US and Europe and towards Asia. The sport will become stronger and better for it.

Almost everywhere you look, players with Korean backgrounds are beginning to make waves. Among the American-Koreans, there is Anthony Kim, a Ryder Cup player with one of the best swings in golf, and Michelle Wie, whose game has faded from its heights but who still commands attention. And then there is Danny Lee, a South Korean-born New Zealander, who, at 18, won the US Amateur Championship in 2008 and this year’s Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Australia, a European Tour event, while as an amateur.

It is estimated that there are about 250 golf courses in Korea, with about three million players. The game is expensive to play and is considered to bestow social status. It is encouraging, however, that Yang and K. J. Choi, the first Korean to win on the PGA Tour in the US, come from humble backgrounds. There is every chance that they will have sparked a boom.

Asian Tigers

Ryo Ishikawa (Japan, 17) Already accorded superstar status in Japan. At 15 years and eight months became the youngest winner of a men’s tournament on the Japanese tour while still an amateur. Now a professional, has four more victories to his name. Played first two rounds of this year’s Open Championship alongside Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood. Missed cut.

Danny Lee (New Zealand, born in South Korea, 19) Lee became the youngest winner of the US Amateur championship in 2008, one month past his eighteenth birthday.

Noh Seung Yul (South Korea, 18) Had one victory and finished runner-up three times in 16 events in his first season on the Asian Tour in 2008.

Mu Hu (China, 19) Dubbed the future of Chinese golf since the age of 11. Coached by David Leadbetter in Florida. Playing the college circuit at present.