Back pain forces Suzann Pettersen out of Kraft Nabisco Championship
No. 2 ranked women’s golfer Suzann Pettersen, citing back problems, withdrew from this weekend’s Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Pettersen said pain from an “aggravated disc” in her back forced her to sit out the four-round event that starts Thursday at Mission Hills Country Club. It’s the first of the LPGA Tour’s major tournaments.
“It’s so unfortunate that I can’t compete this week,” Pettersen said in a statement released Tuesday through the LPGA. “At this point, I just need to be smart and not make a bad situation worse.”
It was the second consecutive week that Pettersen, a Norwegian who turns 33 on Monday, was sidelined by her back problems. She also withdrew before the start of last weekend’s Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif.
In her statement Tuesday, Pettersen said she was receiving treatment for her back “in an effort to get back to competition as soon as possible.”
Pettersen has 14 LPGA victories, including two major championships. She has never won the Kraft Nabisco Championship but has been close several times, finishing second in 2007, ’08 and ’10.
Back problems are not new for Pettersen. In 2005, for instance, she was able to play in only nine tournaments due to back pain.
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