Suzann Pettersen
Norway
Suzann Pettersen, born in Oslo on April 7, 1981 is a Norwegian professional golfer who plays mainly on the LPGA Tour and is also a member of the Ladies European Tour. Her career best world ranking is second.
Suzann Pettersen was a successful amateur golfer. She is a five-time Norwegian Amateur Champion (1996-2000) and won the British Girls Championship in 1999. She represented Norway in the Espirito Santo Trophy World Amateur Team Championship in 1998 and 2000, becomng World Amateur Champion in her second appearance. She also represented Europe in the 1997 and 1999 Junior Ryder Cup Matches.
Pettersen turned professional in September 2000 and gained her LET Tour card with an 11th place finish at the 2001 LET Qualifying School. In her 2001 Ladies European Tour rookie season she played in ten events without missing a cut and won the French Open in only her second start as a professional after beating Becky Morgan in a playoff. She finished second on the Order of Merit and was named LET Rookie of the Year.
Pettersen started 2002 with a playoff loss to Karrie Webb in the AAMI Australian Women’s Open and two more top ten finishes led to her winning a place on the European team for the 2002 Solheim Cup. In the singles, Suzann was five down with five to play and rescued a half point for Europe against Michelle Redman, who performed one of the most dramatic collapses in Matchplay history. On the 18th green on live TV after her comeback, she accidentally offered a four-letter swear word while being interviewed by NBC’s Roger Maltbie. She tied for 10th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn exempt status for the 2003 LPGA season.
In 2003 Pettersen played in 5 events on the LET missing no cuts and finished runner-up to Sophie Gustafson at the HP Open. She played a full rookie season on the LPGA, her best finish being a third at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. She was a captain’s pick for the 2003 Solheim Cup and recorded an impressive 4-1-0 record as a member of the victorious European Team.
In 2004 Pettersen played in just four events on the LET with a best finish of T9 at the Evian Masters. On the LPGA, Suzann began her season late after recuperating from elbow surgery. She recorded four top-10 finishes including a season-best tie for fifth at the State Farm Classic.
In 2005 Suzann played in only three events on the LET and nine events on the LPGA due to a debilitating back injury. When she came back her best LPGA finish was a sixth at the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic and she finished tied for second at the Ladies Finnish Masters. She registered a 2-0-2 record as a captain’s pick on the European Solheim Cup Team and played for the International team at the inaugural Lexus Cup.
In 2006 Pettersen played 5 times on the LET recording two top ten finishes including a third place at the Scandanavian TPC. On the LPGA tour she had 3 top ten finishes with a season’s best of fifth at the Florida’s Natural Charity Championship.
At the start of 2007, Pettersen was selected to represent Norway at the Women’s World Cup of Golf but withdrew due to illness before the event started. At the Safeway International she recorded her then best finish on the LPGA Tour, a 2nd place, two strokes behind Lorena Ochoa and a late meltdown at the Kraft Nabisco saw her equal that finish, her second best at a major. Pettersen became the first Norwegian LPGA winner at the 2007 Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, beating Jee Young Lee in a playoff.
Pettersen followed up this win by capturing the second major championship of 2007, the LPGA Championship, by one stroke over Karrie Webb which moved her up to fourth in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. On the Ladies European Tour she won the SAS Masters in her native Norway. October 2007 was a very successful month for Pettersen.
At the Longs Drugs Challenge she won her third LPGA victory, beating Lorena Ochoa in a playoff, whilst her Asian trip saw her collect wins number four and five in Korea and Thailand. On December 31, 2007, Pettersen reached the number two position in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, surpassing Karrie Webb and Annika Sörenstam.
In January 2008 Pettersen signed a multi-year agreement with Nike Golf, and will represent Nike in clubs, balls, footwear, glove and bag. Her first win of 2008 came at the rain shortened Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Suzann Pettersen”.
