Pettersson breaks through at Chrysler
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2005 Chrysler Championship | Wrap | 31 Oct 2005
Sweden’s Carl Pettersson converted some good form of late into his first USPGA Tour victory by holding on in a tight finish to the Chrysler Championship in Tampa Bay.
Pettersson played well in this event last year and just last week had a good winning chance at the Funai Classic before dropping shots late on Sunday. There have been many good rounds in recent weeks and this win is perhaps not the shock it might outwardly appear to be.
Pettersson is into his third year on the PGA Tour and safely held his card in each of his first two seasons. He recorded seven top tens in 2004 and, like he has this year, he played well at the end of the season. Leading into this week’s event there had been a run of consistent form good enough to suggest that on a golf course where he clearly has a comfort zone, a big week could be expected.
The 28-year-old had made steady progress early in the week, slowly but surely advancing on those ahead of him on the leaderboard and after his third round of 67 he led the event along with Steve Lowery.
An early bogey saw him slip behind the more experienced Lowery but he eliminated the mistakes from there. Although his first birdie would not come until the par five 14th after two fine shots to 30 feet set up a two putt birdie, he was doing enough on a day where good scoring was not all that easy.
Nobody was seriously challenging him until Chad Campbell put together a late charge with five birdies in his last eight holes to get into a share of the lead before Petterson’s birdie. All Pettersson needed to do therefore was to par the last two holes to take the victory, but when your first PGA Tour event is on the line, that was always going to be a more difficult task than at any other time.
He made a fine par at the 17th after a tee shot to 30 feet and then at the last, when he most needed it, he hit a superb drive and a second from 134 yards to 20 feet. He was bold with his putt and left himself a little work to do to win but he made it and the victory was his.
Campbell turned around what had been a perhaps disappointing season by his and others expectations when he claimed second outright courtesy of his strong late run but there was a huge line-up for third.
Seven players were at five under, three behind the runner up, including Hidemichi Tanaka, Stewart Cink, Tag Ridings, Tim Herron, Bo Van Pelt, Tom Pernice and Steve Lowery whose last round 75 cost him a bundle. The most significant of those were Ridings who was 126th on the money list prior to this week but he will move to safety as a result of his effort and Tanaka also will move from 149th to the safety zone courtesy of his cheque for $US200,000 or so. Tim Herron appears to have done enough to creep back inside the top thirty who will head to Atlanta.
The failure of Vijay Singh to make the cut, albeit by just one, was perhaps the shock of the week.
Of the Australians Stuart Appleby’s 27th place should keep him in the Tour Championship field despite a last round 75. Lonard was next best in 35th place but that will not be enough to get him back inside the top thirty and he will have next week off before heading for perhaps China and then the World Cup.
Adam Scott continued some ordinary late season form when 35th, John Senden was 44th, with Stephen Leaney and Steve Allan 61st.
The PGA Tour has two destinations next week. The top thirty head for Atlanta and the Tour Championship, while those at the other end of the scale, battle it out at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
