Resurgent Pettersen shares early lead in Florida
Suzann Pettersen continued her blistering assault against rivals on the first day of CME Group Titleholders 2012, as she posted a massive 66 to grab an early lead along with two other contenders
on Thursday.
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament, which is being played at The TwinEagles Club, Naples, Florida, turned into a nerve-jangling battle when top-ranked stars battled
to rise to the top early in the day.
It was Pettersen’s performance that gripped most of the attention in the first round, with South Korean So Yeon Ryu and Sun Young Yoo shooting the same 66 to tie for the top spot with the
Norwegian golfer.
The LPGA titan started the round with confidence and parred the first two holes. She then launched her first birdie-putt on the third hole, which helped her adjust to the conditions of the
course.
After parring the next three holes, Pettersen once again showed perfect putting skills on the greens of par-4 7th, draining her second birdie.
On the back nine, she continued to pound the field with birdies. What set Pettersen apart from the rest of the field on the first day was that she steered clear of bogeys.
She received appreciation from the crowd after she rattled off two straight birdies on the 12th and 13th hole.
Sharing her thoughts at the end of the round, Pettersen said that she is pretty happy that she has been able to repeat what she did in Asia last month.
She said that her goal was to stay calm on the front nine, which was meant to keep her confidence level intact.
“Just really tried to stay within the game plan on the first front nine. Didn't really feel like I got anything kind of for free out there, had to kind of really work hard
to keep the score together on the first 12,” said the 31-year-old who has grabbed a total of 10 LPGA titles since turning professional in 2000.
“Then I made a few birdies coming in and I almost made a birdie on 17, lipped out. It was nice to finish it up with birdie on the last”.
Pettersen has performed well in the current season, having notched up two back-to-back titles at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship and Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2012 in late October.
Tags: