Resurgent Pettersen back to winning ways
Norwegian Suzann Pettersen does not have to remain leery of her capabilities any more, and she can now eye the coming LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournaments with a renewed
confidence, thanks to LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012 triumph.
The triumph at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship, at Incheon, South Korea, was more than just a stellar performance, as Pettersen was able to put an end of her protracted victory drought.
She headed into playoff after shooting an overall 205 along with Scottish Catriona Matthew on the final day. Both the contenders looked in their best form—but it was Pettersen’s day in every
way, shape or form.
“Well, you feel like you have it when you actually have a makeable putt to win. Obviously it's always tough; I was kind of glad it was Catriona, but at the same time, it was like, really?
It was one of those win or lose,” the happy winner had said at the end of playoff.
“I was fortunate enough, but I put enough pressure on her to kind of give myself a good kind of chance. And the third time around I just made a solid stroke, and it dropped”.
While before the event in South Korea, Pettersen’s career had been shrouded in doubts and concerns expressed by her fans, who wondered what it would take the once-fearsome contender to get
back to her winning ways.
Ups and downs are not unusual in golf, but Pettersen’s fans reaction on her lacklustre performance had been a matter of concern for the Norwegian star, who, during this time, was also seen
focusing on off-course activities.
When she posed for the ESPN Body Issue a few months back, many had thought that she was about to become the next Michelle Wie, who is known more for her glamorous outfits than how she has
been performing on the course.
For Wie, she almost always deserves to be in the public eye—no matter how sloppy she performs on the course—as she boasts the looks only a few LPGA stars do.
But Pettersen’s fans want her to be on the course as superb as she was in her prime.
However, a victory after over 14 months came as a big surprise to not just Pettersen’s fans, but also her rivals who had become too complacent, thinking of her as a spent force.
The Hana Bank Championship was a performance that not only reflected the hidden talent the LPGA phenom had exhibited while still performing as an amateur golfer in Oslo during 1990s. She quickly
rose to fame after she became the Norwegian Amateur Champion for five times in a row, winning the accolade from 1996 to 2000.
The last victory, before the LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012, was recorded at the Safeway Classic in August 2011—way too long a time for Pettersen to ponder what she had been lacking and
what she needed to do in order to fix flaws.
Now that the star golfer has ended her winning drought—something very crucial to put her back on track, it can be expected that Pettersen is set to make a fresh start and give a hard time
to Asian rivals who have subdued just about everyone in the line-up.
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