• RBC Heritage, Round Four

Pettersson back in winners circle

Carl Pettersson's first nine took him out of sight © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• Out of Bounds: Rules ravage Pettersson's Ryder bid - for both teams
  
• News: McIlroy snatches No. 1 spot from Donald
  
• Profile: Luke Donald | Ernie Els | Padraig Harrington | Carl Pettersson

Leaderboard

Carl Pettersson bagged the fifth victory of his career after winning the RBC Heritage tournament by five strokes from Zach Johnson.

The Swede took a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round, and a two-under 69 proved enough to see him capture a first title since the 2010 RBC Canadian Open.

Three birdies in his opening five holes helped settle any lasting nerves, the 34-year-old making the turn in 33. There was less to cheer on the back nine, a solitary bogey turning his smile into a frown, if only temporarily.

However, his rivals were well off the pace and unable to catch him, leaving him to pick up a cheque for nearly $1 million and move to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Johnson, too, enjoyed a bright start, going three under through five. However, from that moment on his round was plagued by inconsistency, with bogeys following birdies as he had to settle for second place after a one-under 70.

Fellow American Colt Knost claimed outright third place following a final-round 74 which saw him slip out of title contention. Knost, though, did enough to finish the tournament two strokes ahead of Kevin Stadler and Billy Mayfair.

World No. 1 Luke Donald never recovered from a horror opening round, and had to settle for a share of 37th with an even-par 71 on the last day. Donald appeared to be headed toward another disastrous round on the final day when he double-bogeyed the first, but the Englishman steadied himself to recover on the back nine.

Brian Davis led the British contingent, despite shooting a two-over 73 on the final day. Davis finished three-under for the event, five shots ahead of Donald and six better than Gary Christian.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.