Pettersson storms to Heritage Classic victory

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: Sweden's Carl Pettersson won the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head on Sunday to claim his fifth PGA Tour title as Luke Donald gave up his No 1 ranking to Rory McIlroy.

Pettersson shot a final round two-under-par 69 to finish the tournament at 14-under, a comfortable five shots clear of his nearest rival, former Masters champion Zach Johnson (70).

"The swing felt good," Pettersson said. "I felt calm. It was a great feeling today."

It was his first PGA Tour win since the 2010 Canadian Open and allowed him to match Jesper Parnevik's total for most won by a Swedish player.

Donald needed to finish eighth or better to retain his No 1 spot but the Englishman tied for 37th after a final round 71 for a two-over total of 286, allowing Northern Ireland's McIlroy to leapfrog him back to the top.

Colt Knost's chances of winning his first PGA Tour title vanished with a 74 that put him third, one stroke behind American Johnson. Kevin Stadler (68) and Billy Mayfair (69) tied for fourth at six under par, a distant eight shots back.

The outcome was never in doubt after Pettersson birdied three of the first five holes on Sunday.

"Getting off to a birdie on number one was great," said the Swede, who sank a 24-foot putt at the first and thrived on the outward nine throughout the tournament.

"The whole front nine I played really good."

Pettersson said a swing change he incorporated three weeks ago at the Houston Open had paid off.

"In Houston I found that new swing key, just opened up my stance and left my left hip clear through the ball," he said. "I've played great. So hopefully this feeling lasts a long time."

The last time the portly Pettersson tinkered with his game and lifestyle it did not work out so well.

"In ‘08 I had a good year. I won Greensboro that year. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to get to the next level and fitness, and I really started working out and eating better, and I lost 30 pounds [14kg] very quickly," he said.

"That was during the off-season, and it really threw my golf game. In ‘09 I played terrible, I finished 150-something on the money list," the 34-year-old Pettersson said.

"It took a long time, just the last six months I felt comfortable again. Threw my timing off," he said, adding that his Canadian win in 2010 was more like catching "lightning in a bottle."

"I felt like this year my game was starting to come back to where it was. I played really solid. It's fun to play again, and I kept the weight on."