New USPGA champion almost became a bodybuilder

London, Aug.18 (ANI): Believe it or not, new USPGA champion Ye Yang was headed towards becoming a bodybuilder before golf caught his fancy.

According to The Sun, South Korean Yang did not pick up a golf club before he was 19 because he grew up dreaming of imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger rather than Arnold Palmer.

Yang, 37, said: "As a kid I was an aspiring bodybuilder and my dream was to own a gym. That was when I was 17 and 18. I went to the gym a lot but I tore the ligaments in my knee and that sort of wrecked that ambition. The dream faded. And then one of my friends introduced me to a small driving range in our town, where we could eat and sleep as well."

Yang was two shots behind world No 1 Tiger Woods going into the final round but carded a two-under-par 70 to finish on eight under - three ahead of Woods.

"The first grip I ever had was a baseball grip and I was just whacking it. It was just fun and that's how it all started. After I picked up my first club, I was like anybody else in the world - just an average Joe. But as I started to play more, I fell in love with it," Yang said.

Yang celebrated his shock win at Hazeltine by lifting his fully laden golf bag over his head, before doing the same thing with the Wanamaker Trophy - golf's heaviest at just over 44 pounds. (ANI)