By Steve Keating
TORONTO (Reuters) - Carl Pettersson had to choose between being fit or playing golf and the Swede decided he would be happier winning tournaments than losing weight.
"After 2008 I had one of my best seasons on Tour ... and I kept thinking 'what am I going to do to get better?'" Pettersson told reporters. "Obviously I was a little overweight.
"I thought, well, I'll get fit. So I actually lost 30 pounds, and my game completely left me.
"I guess the timing of the swing and everything was thrown out and I really struggled in '09.
"I've played fairly well this year, not great, but I've had moments of doing good stuff.
"I'd love to be fitter but I'm not going to go down that road again."
After earning more than $2 million in 2008 and qualifying for the Tour championship, the trimmed down Pettersson could manage only one top-10 finish last season and dropped to 136th on the money list.
With his mechanics and timing all at sea, Pettersson shelved the diet and his game gradually got back into shape.
He now has four top-10 results this season, his fourth career win and a Canadian Open record, his third round 10-under 60 the lowest score in the tournament's 101-year history.
While waiting to see whether he made the cut on Friday, Pettersson helped himself to seven beers. He then went on to become only the third player in the last four years to win a PGA Tour event after finishing on the cut-line.
"It's possible but it's rare," he said.
"When I finished (Friday's second round) I thought I had missed.
"I walked into the locker room and Jay Williamson had all the scenarios written out and he's like 'grab a beer'," Pettersson said, referring to the American golfer.
"Before you know it, I had seven beers, my caddy had to drive me home.
Born in Sweden, raised in England and now living in North Carolina, Pettersson said he was not the typical Swede.
"I got a lot of redneck friends at home," he said.
"I don't have a 28-inch waist and I don't eat bananas at the turn, stuff like that."
(Editing by Ian Ransom)
