NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — There was a 10-hole stretch on Sunday in which Norwegian golfer Suzann Pettersen seemed impervious to anxiety.
This might be because years on the LPGA Tour have toughened up her nerves, or maybe, for this one weekend — golf didn’t seem like such a big deal.
Less than a month ago, a gunman murdered more than 90 people in Pettersen’s home country. And Wednesday, her 29-year-old friend died in a skydiving accident.
So while Pettersen’s nine-stroke comeback in the Safeway Classic invigorated the gallery at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, her playoff win over Na Yeon Choi elicited only so much joy.
“It’s been a really tough summer. It just feels like … I don’t feel we can take anymore right now,” said Pettersen, who shot a 7-under-par 64 Sunday and finished the 54-hole tournament at 6 under. “It definitely puts golf in perspective.”
It’s not as though Pettersen stepped onto the first tee box Sunday with the idea of winning for her fallen friend. She entered the day tied for 16th place and nine shots behind Choi, who was three strokes ahead of the field.
Pettersen herself conceded that she had no plans of holding the trophy by the event’s end, but after tapping in for eagle on the par-5 10th, the momentum started rolling like a steep downhill putt.
A birdie on 11 followed, then another on 15. Pettersen grabbed a share of the lead when she got up and down from the sand to birdie the par-4 17th, and maintained that position by rolling in an eight-footer to save par on 18.
“I saw my name walking down 18 and it said ‘T1’ (tied for first) and I was like ‘really?’ ” said Pettersen, whose win vaulted her into the No. 2 spot in the world rankings (Yani Tseng is No. 1).“I didn’t think 6 under was going to be enough.”
But it seemed as though the rest of the field’s jitters were doing everything in their power to secure the victory for the 30-year-old.
First, Hee Young Park bogeyed the 18th to fall one stroke behind Pettersen. Then Choi, whose birdie on 17 gave her a one-stroke lead, duffed a chip shot and missed a 12-foot putt to bogey the final hole as well.
Playoff time.
“That was a funky lie,” said Choi of her flubbed chip from just off the green. “Well, I was nervous, too.”
Choi seemed a bit nervous when she and Pettersen replayed the 18th hole as well. While Pettersen landed her aggressive approach just off the green, Choi’s second shot came up short and found the water hazard. And when Pettersen got up and down for par, the championship was officially hers.
Hee Young Park finished third at 5-under, while Paula Creamer placed fourth at 4-under.
Despite the drama surrounding the 18th hole Sunday, the suspense was equally palpable at the course’s Witch Hollow Clubhouse, where Solheim Cup captain Rosie Jones announced her two picks for the women’s equivalent of the American Ryder Cup team.
The first was Vicky Hurst, a 21-year-old who finished 11th in the Solheim Cup Team standings (the top 10 automatically qualify). The second was 20-year-old rookie Ryann O’Toole, who has played just seven events on tour and was still 18th in the standings.
“I’m ready to kick Europe’s butt,” O’Toole said upon her selection.
Responded Jones: “That’s why I picked her.”
Matt Calkins can be contacted at 360-735-4528 or email matt.calkins@columbian.com
