Yang Yong-eun shouts for joy after winning the 2009 PGA Championship in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday. /AP-Newsis

A major championship title on the PGA Tour is like a knighthood to a golfer. By 2004 Phil Mickelson had won over 20 titles on the PGA Tour, but until he won the Masters that year he used to be called "the best player never to win a major." 

The 2009 PGA Championship winner Yang Yong-eun has now grabbed both honor and money. His win in the major also racked up ranking points, propelling his world ranking from 110th to 34th.

Yang won US$1.35 million in prize money at the PGA Championship, but the financial value that the accomplishment will generate for him in the future is likely to top $10 million.

With this title Yang gained the right to play in the four major championships for the next five years, and also in the World Golf Championships, where only the best in the world are invited to play.

He will also get a berth in the Presidents Cup, which pits a U.S. Team against an International Team representing the rest of the world (except Europe) in a series of matches. Yang now stands at eighth among the players in the International Team, and seventh for the Playoffs for the FedEx Cup. With his high points he can potentially amass a huge sum of bonus money. A win at the Playoffs is worth $10 million, while he would get $3 million if he finishes runner-up.