Pettersen feeling like a champ

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, a multi-talented athlete and arguably the hardest worker on the LPGA Tour, spent three hours a day, every day, working out in the off-season. So when she was forced to rest for three weeks straight after withdrawing from the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia with a sore hip, she didn’t know what to expect from her return. “I thought I’d have two solid weeks of practice [going into the Nabisco] but it turned into two solid weeks on the couch.” Apparently, the hiatus was worth it. After getting a clean MRI and dusting off the rust at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., last week, Pettersen impressed in her bogey-free opening-round 67 today, and she feels great about the way she’s playing.