Few careers get a perfect ending, and even fewer get a sequel. Suzann Pettersen, even in 2019 when she holed the winning putt, limped up and retired from the sport. Now, after seven years away, the Norwegian is ending her hiatus with a shock return to professional golf. She is set to play this week at a $2 million championship on the Ladies European Tour, but the return comes with a hard decision.

Speaking to Today’s Golfer, Pettersen shared her honest opinion on the matter.
“I’m not going to come back and play a full schedule ever. That’s me being very honest. I could hardly see myself playing five or six events a year. I don’t have a category anymore where I can actually use the reasoning to see where my game is at. I fancy that a little bit if I get my hands around the game.”

But she also explained why she wants to do this now: “I want to keep the game going in my body, so I don’t- I haven’t played for three years, and that’s going to be a problem. She added, The clubs are the same, at the same. I haven’t changed myself since the last time I played professionally. So let me see.”

She is set to play at the Aramco Korea Championship this week, and the event itself is a breakthrough for a low-pressure restart. It runs from October 8th to 11th at the New Korea Country Club and is a part of the PGA Tour Series. This is only the third edition, and for the first time it is a straight 72-hole individual stroke play rather than a team format used before. A field of 168 will compete, with the cut coming after 54 holes. Additionally, Pettersen is also eligible for the LPGA Legends circuit and is expected to play senior majors. So this week marks the fourth step in her wider schedule after a long hiatus.

That being said, her return is an unexpected comeback. For context, Pettersen had already taken a long break once, spending about 20 months away after giving birth to her son in 2018.

In 2019, he returned as a vice-captain for Catriona Matthew’s 2019 European Solheim Cup team. However, her form was shaky.

Notably, she had also missed the cut at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Then missed two of her next three LPGA cuts. Even so, Matthew gave her a captain’s stake, partly because of her record in the event.

And that pick certainly paid off at Gleneagles. With Europe needing a final point on Sunday, Pettersen sank a 10-foot birdie putt to win her match and the cup. But soon after, she announced her retirement from the sport. She finished with an 18-12-6 Solheim Cup record, 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 2007 LPGA Championship and 2013 Evian Championship, with 22 professional victories overall. Naturally, the news was shocking.

Now, after seven years, she’s returning to Korea, where that has been an important stop for her. She’s a two-time winner of the LPGA’s Hana Bank Championship and became the first non-Korean to win the event. One of those victories came at Mauna Ocean Golf & Resort in Gyeongju, where strong winds forced officials to cancel the final round, and she was declared champion on her 36th-hole lead.

For now, she is getting ready to play her next event in Korea, with a handful of events each year lined up using her LPGA category. Whether she can make a strong comeback and bag a win remains to be seen.