Back at Nine brought to you by GREY GOOSE Vodka

There you have it, the winner of the 2011 Sybase Match Play Championship is Suzann Pettersen!  In this time of celebration, GREY GOOSE Vodka® would like to toast the triumphs and tribulations of this incredible four-day tournament.  Here’s a look Back at Nine memorable moments:

Moment #9: After more than 3 inches of rain throughout Tournament week, the Hamilton Farm Golf Club grounds crew accomplished the impossible by keeping the course in fabulous playing condition for championship round play

Moment #8: More than half of the first round matches ended in upsets, 18 out of 32. All three rookies in the field advanced.

Moment #7: After Paula Creamer defeated World Golf Hall of Fame member Karrie Webb 1-UP in the second round, Creamer graciously told members of the media that the match would be one of the most memorable rounds of her career.

Moment #6: Seven of the nine Rolex World Golf top-10 players in the field advanced to the third round including Yani Tseng (No.1), Suzann Pettersen (No. 3), Cristie Kerr (No. 4), Na Yeon Choi (No. 5), Ai Miyazato (No. 7), Karrie Webb (No.8) and Michelle Wie (No. 10).

Moment #5: U.S Solheim Cup member hopeful Brittany Lang accomplish a string of early round upsets to improve her chances by defeating higher ranked Christina Kim (26) in the first round and Korean I.K. Kim (7) in the second round.

Moment #4: Angela Stanford, currently ranked 25th in the world, upset No. 10 seed Paula Creamer during the quarterfinals to make her second appearance in the event’s final day. Last year she was defeated by defending champion Sun Young Yoo in the championship round to receive runner-up accolades.

Moment #3: Suzann Pettersen, the Rolex World Golf Rankings No. 3, defeated Stacy Lewis in the third round and then World No. 1 Yani Tseng in the quarterfinals to earn the right to compete on the final day against Na Yeon Choi.

Moment #2: The Sybase Match Play Championship will recycle money back into the local community. The event will donate a portion of Tournament proceeds to Somerset Medical Center’s Steeplechase Cancer Center. LPGA Tour professionals Sun Young Yoo, Song-Hee Kim and Belen Mozo visited with hospital patients on Tuesday and joined them in a yoga class.

Moment #1: Suzann Pettersen defeats Cristie Kerr despite a last minute surge to win the 2011 Sybase Match Play Championship and $375,000.

Pettersen Outlasts Kerr to Win 2011 Sybase Match Play Championship

Rolex World No. 3 Suzann Pettersen earned her 7th career victory by outlasting World No. 4 Cristie Kerr 1 up during the championship round of the Sybase Match Play Championship. Pettersen won six matches over four days to win the trophy and a $375,000 champion’s purse at Hamilton Farm Golf Club.

“We would like to congratulate Suzann for outstanding play throughout the week,” said John Chen, Chairman and CEO of Sybase, an SAP Company. “Her ability to overcome some of the top contenders in the field truly speaks to her talent and determination. We also want to congratulate Cristie on another fabulous performance in her well accomplished career. The nature of match play competition certainly delivered exciting contests throughout the week for spectators and fans alike.”

Pettersen held a slim advantage early by taking two of the first four holes. However, Kerr evened the match with birdies on holes 5 and 8. Pettersen birdied holes 9 and 15 to go 2 up. While Kerr birdied hole 17, Pettersen saved the match on 18 to win 1-up.

“I know [Cristie] was going to birdie 17 so it came down to 18 [and] 18 has been awfully good to me,” said Pettersen. “When you love what you do, you dig deep…especially when it’s all on the line, every putt, every shot is on the line.”

Pettersen reached the finals by upsetting both World No. 1 Yani Tseng (quarterfinals) and the No. 1 seed Na Yeon Choi (semifinals). She also defeated #49 Natalie Gulbis (Rd. 1), #45 Amy Hung (Rd. 2), and #21 Stacy Lewis (Rd. 3).

Kerr reached the finals without facing a higher-seeded player with wins against #48 Amanda Blumenherst (Rd. 1), #60 Belen Mozo (Rd. 2), #47 Kyeong Bae (Rd. 3), #6 Ai Miyazato (quarterfinals), and #18 Angela Stanford (semifinals). Kerr won $225,000 in earnings with her runner-up finish.

Number one seed Na Yeon Choi finished third, earning $150,000 by defeating last year’s runner-up Angela Stanford 4&3 in the consolation match. Stanford earned $112,500 for her fourth place finish.

Hamilton Farm Golf Club received praise from players and guests for both their hospitality and their maintenance of the course. “For me [the course] was perfect,” said Pettersen. “The greens were rolling pure. A great thanks to all the staff… they’ve done a fantastic job.”

Print Version – Click Here