by Jeff Skinner
Suzann Pettersen was in a familiar place. She was standing on the eighteenth green with a chance to close out her match. She had been there before this week as four of her six matches went to the last hole before she shut the door on her opponents. But this time it was different. This time a birdie would give her a win over the American bulldog of a player, Cristie Kerr. This time it would mean her first title in 20 months. This time was different but familiar at the same time. Pettersen did what she had done all week on the eighteenth. She birdied the hole and claimed her victory at The Sybase Match Play Championship.
It was an amazing week of golf for Pettersen having beaten many of the world’s best golfers. In her trail to victory she defeated Natalie Gulbis, Amy Hung, Stacy Lewis, Yani Tseng, Na Yeon Choi and Kerr. It was an exhausting week both mentally and physically for Pettersen as she battled the flu, the elements and her opponents for the victory.
Pettersen is one of the most talented golfers on the LPGA Tour and ranked third in the world but had failed to nail down a win since her last at The 2009 Canadian Women’s Open. It looked like a preview of the Solheim Cup with two of the best taking on each other in a critical singles match. Kerr and Pettersen are sure to see each other come September in Ireland.
Pettersen spoke afterwards and noted how difficult it has been not winning for so long. “Well, it’s 20 months but it doesn’t really feel like 20 months. It feels like a lot longer. But like I said yesterday, I’ve had some great tournaments except winning, and I can finally put the dot over the I and it just — the tip of the iceberg. It doesn’t get much better than it”.
Related Articles
