Carl Pettersson who was runner-up at the Sony Open and Houston Open before he won at Hilton Head last week. Three high finishes would be more than enough to put him at No. 10 in the Ryder Cup standings, except for one small little teenie weenie problem.
He is not eligible for Ryder Cup points.
”You have to be a member of the European Tour, which I’m not,”Pettersson said Tuesday.
Pettersson has lived in the states since he was a teenager, and last year became a U.S. citizen. He resides in North Carolina with his wife and two children, who are about to turn 5 and 8. He feels it is a priority for him to be at home instead of traveling the world to meet the minimum 13 European Tour tournaments to be a Tour member.
”It’s too hard to play two tours at once,” Pettersson said. ”It’s hard to compete on one, let alone two. I’ve seen others try to do two. It’s very difficult. Luke Donald did it last year. I know it’s a Ryder Cup year. But if I’m playing well, maybe they’ll take me.”
Luke Donald became the first player to win the money list on both sides of the Atlantic last year. For most members of both tours, they have the advantage of eight tournaments that count toward both – four majors and four World Golf Championships. Until he won last week, Pettersson wasn’t eligible for any of them.
For now Pettersson can get himself ready for the majors. The Masters was the only major he played in 2011. His win at Hilton Head made him eligible for the PGA Championship and the Masters next year. He is ranked No. 35 in the world and must stay in the top 60 for the U.S. Open and top 50 for the British Open.
