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Pettersen Keeps Smiling

McDonald's LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen got off to an inauspicious start during Thursday's opening round of the U.S. Women's Open, recording bogeys on her first six holes, including a double bogey on the par-4, 14th hole. She stood at 7-over par after six holes, but picked herself up off the canvas with four birdies on the front nine (her back nine) to finish at 5 over, still within shouting distance of the leaders.

Pettersen's Thursday comeback was a sign of her growing maturity and patience this season. The 26-year-old Norwegian lost final-round leads in back-to-back tournaments earlier this season, including a four-hole meltdown at the Kraft Nabisco Championship which cost her the season's first major. But Pettersen rebounded quickly to win her first LPGA Tour event, the Michelob ULTRA Open, three tournaments later and then added her first major title at the McDonalds LPGA Championship three weeks ago. At the McDonalds, Pettersen fired a final-round 67 to hold off a spirited charge from Karrie Webb by one stroke.

Much of the credit for Pettersen's emergence this season belongs to Golf For Women Top 50 Teachers and regular contributors Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott. Pettersen attended one of their Golf54 schools in Phoenix last year, and Nilsson and Marriott have been coaching her ever since on the mental and emotional aspects of the game (Gary Gilchrist, Michelle Wie's former swing coach, is Pettersen's instructor).

Nilsson and Marriott told me an interesting story today. They were watching a television broadcast of Saturday's third round of the McDonalds in Sweden when they noticed how tense Pettersen appeared, especially in her facial expressions. They phoned Pettersen prior to Sunday's final round and advised her to smile more inwardly on the course. This would help relax her jaw, lips and other facial features, Marriott explained, so she wouldn't be so tight in her shoulders and upper body.

Their tip worked wonders. Pettersen not only held it together down the stretch, but she recorded four birdies on her back nine against no bogeys.

So if you see Pettersen mouthing a smile during this weekend's coverage of the U.S. Open, you'll know why.