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Suzann Pettersen Conservative is definitely not in Suzann Pettersen’s dictionary. Cool as her native Norwegian fjords, she takes chances. You won’t see Suzann Pettersen, 27, nurse a lead or coast home to protect a paycheck. She plays golf like she skis — hard and gutsy. How is that approach working out? Pettersen is ranked fourth in the current Rolex Women’s World Rankings and has sponsors lined up at her door. Last year was Pettersen’s bust-out season, with five Tour wins, including the major LPGA Championship, where she beat Karrie Webb by one stroke. The week before that victory, Pettersen finished with a T-45, putting with the touch of a blacksmith. But in the LPGA Championship pro-am, she borrowed a strange-looking putter from her amateur partner, liked it, and used it as a magic wand to win her first major. Change is not something Pettersen fears. After finishing second to Lorena Ochoa on the ’07 LPGA money list with $1.8 million, Pettersen changed her clubs and coach, switching to Nike and David Leadbetter. She embraced a new-age concept of mind-body golf training, “Vision 54.” This is a woman willing to do whatever it takes. “Some people dream of success,” Pettersen says, “while others wake up and dig hard for it.” Suzann — her friends call her Tutta (short “u”) — started digging for success at age 6, when she fell in love with golf, pushing skiing to the back burner. During long winters in Oslo she practiced indoors, and when she was older, she fled to Spain and France for her winter golf work before moving to Orlando six years ago. Pettersen turned pro in ’03, lost most of ’04 to elbow surgery and most of ’05 to a ruptured disc, and then began her fast rise to the top. Rather than dial back her swing to avoid injuries, the 5-foot-7 Pettersen continues to grip it and rip it as one of the Tour’s longest drivers. That aggression paid off last season, and Pettersen’s new challenge is to prove she can handle the spotlight and the high expectations. She has yet to win this year, but does have nine top-10 finishes in 21 starts, and $1.1 million in winnings. Pettersen has immersed herself in the culture of golf. Caddyshack is her favorite movie and she knows her golf history, from Snead to Tiger. Now she’s trying to make a little golf history of her own. —Scott Ostle
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