North Carolina State University Athletics
Carl Pettersson seizes early lead at PGA Championship
8/9/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 9, 2012
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Carl Pettersson had never broken 70 in seven PGA Championship appearances. Until Thursday, that is, and the 66 he shot gave him the lead at the 94th renewal of the season’s final major.
Pettersson was extremely solid in the first round, hitting all but two fairways and 15 greens in regulation. The 34-year-old Swede birdied three of his first four holes, didn’t make a bogey all day and had eight one-putts among his 28 total strokes on the green.
"I played really good," Pettersson said. "Obviously getting off to a good start was the key to the round. … The wind started blowing a little bit on the back nine, and I carried on solid play, hitting a lot of fairways, hitting a lot of greens and making a few putts. So it was a great day for me."
Pettersson certainly seems to have an affinity for the South Carolina coast, too.
He picked up his fifth PGA TOUR title earlier this year at the RBC Heritage on another Pete Dye layout in Harbour Town, which is about 53 miles from the Ocean Course as the crow flies. That said, there are few similarities between the two course, the latter of which has the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR.
"Hilton Head is such a unique golf course with the trees, this doesn’t have that many trees," Pettersson said. "Some of the bunkering is a little bit the same. The green complexes are totally different, though. They’re on the ground there and they’re raised up here. … (But) I like his golf courses."
Pettersson, who makes his home outside Raleigh, N.C., about four hours away from Kiawah Island, is bidding to become the first Swede to win a major championship. As it is, he’s only the fourth player from Sweden to even lead one in the last two decades.
This is only the fourth time Pettersson has broken 70 in any major, though. The former NC State standout is playing in his 24th this week and only has two top-10 finishes.
"You have to be on the whole week because of the setup of the golf courses, and I guess I haven’t done that enough,” Pettersson said. “ Maybe I needed a little bit more experience of playing tougher golf courses, and I feel like I do that fairly well nowadays, so hopefully I can contend more."
Pettersson was also hoping that a good week here, as well as at the Wyndham Championship and The Barclays, might attract the attention of European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal. But turns out according to officials, the Swede doesn’t qualify for one of Olazabal’s picks because he is not a member of the European Tour.
Pettersson opted not to join because he didn’t think he would play his best traveling back and forth across the Atlantic. Plus, he was ranked 110th in the world at the start of the 2012 so he wasn’t in any of the majors or World Golf Championships, which count toward membership on both the PGA TOUR and European Tour.
"I have a young family at home," Pettersson said. "I know Luke (played both Tours) very well last year. But I’m quite happy playing on the U.S. TOUR."
In fact, Pettersson became an American citizen earlier this year. He has lived in the United States since high school, his wife is American and both his children were born in the States. So he took the test — "It’s the only test I’ve ever made 100 on," Petterson said, grinning — and was sworn in Raleigh back in January.
"I know I am Swedish but I feel very American," Pettersson said. "I went to high school here, went to college here. I have lived here forever. So I felt like it was the right thing to do. America’s been very nice to me with golf and stuff."
Tim Clark rallied with three birdies on his final nine holes to finish at 1-under 71 and is tied for 32nd.
Meanwhile, Pinehurst club professional Kelly Mitchum, another past Wolfpack All-American, is playing in his fourth PGA Championship and shot a 4-over 76.
