   
| Reunited with caddie, Pettersson shines at THE PLAYERS  PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents PONTE VEDRA, Fla. -- Seven seemed to be Carl Pettersson's lucky number on Friday during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship. The Swede played the back nine of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course first and was 4 under through his first seven holes, which briefly put him in a tie for the lead. He was 3 under for his first seven holes on the front side, too, and again was at the top of the leaderboard.  Carl Pettersson enters the weekend just two shots off the lead at THE PLAYERS. (Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
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The other four holes, though, left a bit to be desired. Pettersson found the water on Nos. 17 and 18, finishing double bogey-bogey, then closed with bogeys on his last two holes on the front nine, as well. Still, Pettersson will start the third round in contention, two strokes off the lead held by Phil Mickelson after Friday's 1-under 71. Of course, he would've and could've been leading -- by three -- if he had just parred the last two holes on each nine. He couldn't be too disappointed, though. "I played all right," said Pettersson, who is tied with Peter Lonard and Sean O'Hair at 3 under. "Unfortunately, I finished bogey bogey, but overall I'm pleased." Pettersson missed the cut the first two times he played THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. He gained some confidence last year, though, with a tie for eighth and entered the PGA TOUR's signature event on the strength of three straight finishes among the top 22. "I played it well last year," Pettersson said. "I feel you've got to be on your game and playing well, and I feel like I'm playing pretty good. It's just tough. You've got to play well, and you're going to make bogeys, but fortunately I made a few birdies." Pettersson holed a bunker shot for birdie at the 15th hole and chipped in for another at the seventh. His other birdie putts on this difficult Friday ranged from 24 feet to 18 inches. "It's a long way to go," the two-time TOUR champion said. "We're only halfway through, and you can't really worry about that. Just try to press on and see what happens." In recent weeks, Pettersson has been reunited with his former caddy, Grant Berry, whom he met while he was playing the European Tour in 2001. Berry caddied for him for more than three years, but the two split in 2005. "We are really good friends," Pettersson said. "The time when we split up I was playing bad and he was getting divorced. It wasn't a good situation but we parted in good ways and now we're back together." Pettersson, who will defend his title at the Memorial Tournament in three weeks, has been working hard on his game. Adding Berry, who has "a great sense of humor," Pettersson said, to the mix has contributed to the Swede's improved form. "He knows my game and my personality, which is huge, I think," Pettersson said. "I've got good trust in him. More so, (it's his) personality. You spent a lot of hours together. He's good with pulling clubs but he's even better at keeping me nice and calm." Regardless of what happens come Sunday, Pettersson plans to take next week off and return home to Raleigh, N.C., where he attended N.C. State. He'll then play the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial prior to his title defense at Muirfield Village. "I've played good the last three weeks, and I'm playing well here," Pettersson said. "I look forward to going back to the Memorial. I've only defended once, which was at Innisbrook, and I missed the cut. I look forward to getting back to that course see how it plays." Of course, there's another test this weekend first. |
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