Pettersson hopes to improve 'tough year' at familiar venue

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Carl Pettersson attended high school just miles from Sedgefield CC, host of the Wyndham Championship.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Carl Pettersson's most vivid memory of his win at last year's Wyndham Championship wasn't the career low 61 he shot in the second round at Sedgefield Country Club.

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Not by a longshot. It was the hugs he got from his wife DeAnn and their two children, Carlie and Chase, when they ran out onto the 18th green to congratulate him that steamy Sunday afternoon.

"That was pretty cool," Pettersson said.

The affection in his voice was palpable even as Pettersson talked on his cell phone Tuesday morning. He was in the car driving from his home in Raleigh to Sedgefield where he would begin his reign as defending champion.

Unlike last year, though, the transplanted Swede, who attended high school seven miles from the golf course where he picked up his third PGA TOUR win, isn't exactly brimming with confidence.

Pettersson's best finish in 2009 came in his first start when he tied for 17th at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Since that time, he's entered 24 events and played the weekend just 10 times. During one stretch Pettersson missed six straight cuts.

"It's been a tough year," Pettersson acknowledged. "I haven't played very well. I am really looking forward to coming back to Greensboro, though. Maybe the good memories will help me turn things around."

But if he doesn't find some magic at Sedgefield this week, Pettersson is looking at an extended vacation. He ranks 151st in the FedExCup standings and only the top 125 at the end of the Wyndham Championship get to play in the first of the four events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Pettersson is currently 74 points out of the 125 position, which is held by Andres Romero, who is not playing at Greensboro. A 10th place finish at Greensboro is worth 75 FedExCup points and the points increase steadily to 500 for a victory.

"I need a good week this week -- otherwise, I will have a long break," Pettersson acknowledged. "I don't want to take the time off, but if I have to, maybe I can use it to get ready for the Fall Series."

Pettersson thinks his struggles may have begun when he lost 30 pounds in about two-and-a-half months during the offseason. He started working out with a vengeance. The man who celebrated his Wyndham Championship win last year with a stop at his favorite fast food restaurant started eating healthy.

"I think I lost the weight too quickly," he said. "I'm the type of person where if I start doing something I don't do it halfway.

"I don't know whether it messed up my swing or not, but I think it affected my set-up. I lost a lot of confidence, and I am still trying to get that back. The golf swing is so finicky anyway. I lost the weight to try to get better and I and I ended up getting worse."

Pettersson, who started playing golf when he was 4 and really caught the bug at the age of 12, is basically a self-taught player. Although he says "I've always been able to figure it out myself," he has consulted with a couple of instructors this year. He's pored over video of his swing, too.

Plus, he gained the 30 pounds back.

"That was the easy part," Pettersson said, chuckling.

The results of late have shown progress. He stumbled on the back nine Sunday at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational but played solidly overall. He opened with a 72 at Hazeltine National but missed the cut by one at the PGA.

"Both of those are tough events and long golf courses," Pettersson said. "So I'm starting to play a little better, I think."

And Sedgefield Country Club couldn't be more different than the beasts he has played in the last two weeks. At 7,117 yards, the classic Donald Ross layout is 557 yards shorter than the longest course in major championship history. Last year's scoring average at Sedgefield was 68.167.

"I think it's more fun to play, I won't say an easy golf course, but a scoreable one," Pettersson said. "I think people get too worried about low scores and they are always trying to make courses really, really difficult.

"I think it's more fun to play a course where you can shoot a good score."

The chance to have fun could be just what the doctor ordered, too.

Pettersson is on the board of the Wyndham Championship so last year's win was an extremely popular one. He handled the pressure of contention well in 2008 so he should be able to put the FedExCup race out of his mind this week, too.

"I am not thinking about it too much," Pettersson said. "I am just thinking about getting my game back and playing good golf again. Whatever happens, happens.

"Obviously, I want to play well but I am not putting any extra pressure on myself. It's going to be a fun week."