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EDITOR'S NOTE: Carl Pettersson, a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, has been writing a blog periodically for PGATOUR.com. He has a lot to share in this edition, which was written Thursday afternoon after he opened with a round of 70 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

AKRON, Ohio -- I really didn't know how I would play today. I just arrived on Wednesday and got in a quick 18 holes. But I had a good reason for getting here so late in the week -- our second child was born on Sunday. His name is Chase, and he weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces. My wife DeAnna went into labor Sunday morning, and he arrived at 8:35 that night. I guess it's a little different the second time around because you know more what to expect, but it still was very special. He and my wife are doing fine, which is the most important thing. DeAnna thinks he looks like me, but I don't know. They change so quickly when they are that young. Our daughter Carlie is pretty excited about having a little brother, too. She was a little scared seeing her mom in the hospital, but once we got them home, she was fine. She just wants to hold him and take care of him now. I am really looking forward to watching the two of them grow up.

Carl Pettersson had a good reason for his late arrival in Akron -- the birth of his second child. (Getty Images)

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As it turned out, Chase ended up coming a week early. I wasn't going to play in Canada last week, though, so I guess he had a good sense of timing. If Chase hadn't been born, I probably still would have played this week because it's only an hour's flight home to Raleigh. My wife would have had all the phone numbers of the staff here and I would have left immediately if she went into labor. I am going to miss the PGA Championship next week, though, to spend time with my family. I hate to miss a major, but being with my family is more important. There will be another PGA Championship next year, and I look forward to playing in it. I just couldn't be away from them for seven straight weeks. I am on the board of directors for the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., which is the week after the PGA, so I will be playing there. Then there are the four FedExCup playoff events right afterwards, and it just would have been too much. She's got family around this week, so it will be good for me to be there next week when everyone is gone.

Serving on the board at Greensboro has been an eye opener for me as a player. I lived there for two years when I was a teenager, and I went to high school there. I've enjoyed seeing that part of how a tournament is run. As a player, you just show up that week. You don't think about all the planning and organization that goes on behind the scenes. So it's been interesting to get a different perspective. We had a meeting just last week. I've given them some suggestions from a player's standpoint. We are really trying to ramp up the Wyndham Championship and make it a special event. We're going to be doing some different things in the coming years that I think the players and the fans are really going to like. There are so many good tournaments now, you have to be competitive and that's what we're trying to do.

There's a lot going on in the next two months. The FedExCup is definitely in the back of my mind. I keep looking at the list to see where I stand. I'm 55th right now, and I hope I can move up a little this week. That's another reason I decided to play here at Firestone. There's no cut, so I will earn points regardless of what happens. I think everyone is playing a little bit more this year, particularly toward the end of the season. It's working out pretty well so far. We'll see how it pans out over the last four events. We'll be playing golf courses we've played before in the playoffs, but I think there will be a different feel -- particularly if you are on the bubble since only a certain number of players advance to the next event. It's going to be great for the fans, too, I think.