Pettersen wins Sybase Championship
Source: Agencies |
May 24, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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SUZANN Pettersen beat Cristie Kerr 1-up to win the Sybase Match Play Championship in New Jersey on Sunday, ending a 20-month victory drought.
Leading 1-up and with Kerr facing a 10-foot birdie attempt on the par-5 18th, Pettersen curled in a left to-right 15-footer for birdie to seal the victory on the cold, damp overcast day that probably made the 30-year-old Norwegian star fell as if she was back home.
Pettersen immediately thrust both hands skyward in celebration, took a few steps and staggered to her knees in exhaustion after playing four rounds over the last two days.
She quickly got up and gave a thumbs up and exhaled.
"It's 20 months, but it doesn't feel like 20 months," said Pettersen, who was doused with champagne by Swedish player Anna Nordqvist after winning. "It feel like a lot longer. But like I said yesterday, I had some great tournaments except winning, and I can finally put a dot over the i, and it's just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn't get much better than that."
Pettersen, who beat top-seeded Choi Na-yeon of South Korea 4 and 2 in the semifinals on Sunday morning, never trailed in the match in winning for the first time since the Canadian Women's Open in September 2009, and for the seventh time in her LPGA Tour career.
"It boils down to winning tournaments, so if you judge your season by winning, last year was a disappointment," said Pettersen, who had 14 top-10 finishes in 21 events in 2010. "But at the same time, I tried to take positives from that. It was a lot better than '09. (However), winning is what it's about."
The No. 3 ranked woman finished second six times last year and 12 times since 2007, a year she won five times, including the LPGA Championship.
The No. 4 Kerr, who won the final two holes in beating Angela Stanford 1-up in the semis, had her putter to blame for failing to win for the 15th time on tour. The American missed four putts of less than 10 feet - all for hole victories.
Leading 1-up and with Kerr facing a 10-foot birdie attempt on the par-5 18th, Pettersen curled in a left to-right 15-footer for birdie to seal the victory on the cold, damp overcast day that probably made the 30-year-old Norwegian star fell as if she was back home.
Pettersen immediately thrust both hands skyward in celebration, took a few steps and staggered to her knees in exhaustion after playing four rounds over the last two days.
She quickly got up and gave a thumbs up and exhaled.
"It's 20 months, but it doesn't feel like 20 months," said Pettersen, who was doused with champagne by Swedish player Anna Nordqvist after winning. "It feel like a lot longer. But like I said yesterday, I had some great tournaments except winning, and I can finally put a dot over the i, and it's just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn't get much better than that."
Pettersen, who beat top-seeded Choi Na-yeon of South Korea 4 and 2 in the semifinals on Sunday morning, never trailed in the match in winning for the first time since the Canadian Women's Open in September 2009, and for the seventh time in her LPGA Tour career.
"It boils down to winning tournaments, so if you judge your season by winning, last year was a disappointment," said Pettersen, who had 14 top-10 finishes in 21 events in 2010. "But at the same time, I tried to take positives from that. It was a lot better than '09. (However), winning is what it's about."
The No. 3 ranked woman finished second six times last year and 12 times since 2007, a year she won five times, including the LPGA Championship.
The No. 4 Kerr, who won the final two holes in beating Angela Stanford 1-up in the semis, had her putter to blame for failing to win for the 15th time on tour. The American missed four putts of less than 10 feet - all for hole victories.
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