Pettersen gets another chance
BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2009 Canadian Womens Open | Round Two | 05 Sep 2009
Beaten in a playoff last week for the Safeway Classic in Oregon, Norway’s Suzann Pettersen gets another chance this week to win her first event of the 2009 LPGA Tour season.
Pettersen shares the lead with Korean Song Hee Kim at the halfway stage of the Canadian Open in Calgary, adding a second round of 68 to her opening 65. The pair leads by one over a resurgent Lorena Ochoa and the in-form Catriona Matthew who recently won her first major championship at the Women’s British Open.
Pettersen has been three times runner up on the 2009 LPGA Tour and last week lost a playoff to rookie M.J. Hur and the second extra hole in Portland so her claims for a win are solid.
Lorena Ochoa’s return to some semblance of her greatness has been anticipated for several months. After such a good start to the season Ochoa has been noticeably absent from contention over the past four months but she is too great a golfer to stay that way for long. Ochoa dropped shots late in her round but she is a threat once again.
The leader-board is stacked with quality players in or near contention including the joint leading Australian Karrie Webb who is in a share of 10th place at 5 under and five behind the lead. Webb won an event on this golf course the last time it was used as a venue for an LPGA Tour in 1999.
Webb shares 10th place with first round leader, South Australian Anna Rawson, who struggled today after her opening round of 64. To her credit Rawson fought back after her round appeared to be getting away on her at one stage. Rawson needs to take advantage of the situation she has created for herself this week as she is not safe in terms of her status for 2010 at this stage.
Sarah Jane Smith is 29th, while Lindsey Wright and Rachel Hetherington are 46th.
Defending champion Katherine Hull missed the cut, continuing what has been a disappointing season in the US for the Queenslander.
