Several times in the middle of the 2010 season, the big-hitting Norwegian was poised to grab the No. 1 ranking, but even her runner-up finish at the U.S. Women's Open Championship wasn't enough to push her into the top spot. Pettersen's consistent season-long intensity level has been impressive, however. She also finished second at the Tour's first major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Defending her 2009 title north of the border, Pettersen tied for second at the 2010 CN Canadian Women's Open, and then she added her sixth runner-up finish at the LPGA's most recent event, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico.
Now an Orlando resident and a familiar face at Grand Cypress Resort, Pettersen will have the benefit of playing "at home" this week in the LPGA Tour Championship. And if the comforts of home combine with the efficiency of a game that is always in contention, she could peak at the right time. The six-time LPGA winner has 12 top-10 finishes this year and season earnings of $1.532 million without a win.
Pettersen currently leads the LPGA Tour in greens hit in regulation (77 percent), is second in rounds under par (44 of 62), third in top-10 finishes (12 of 18), third in rounds in the 60s (47 percent) and brings a third-best season scoring average of 69.92 into the LPGA Tour Championship.
The Rolex Rankings awards points based on the field strength and evaluate a player's performance over a rolling two-year period weighted in favor of the current year with emphasis on the most recent 13 weeks of competition. The LPGA Tour Championship will decide who will end the 2010 LPGA Tour season as the Rolex Rankings No. 1.
Topics: Pettersen, Suzann
