After the second round of the $2.75-million (all figures US) CN Canadian Open, American professional golfer Morgan Pressel, left, wasn’t optimistic about scoring a victory.

Her two round total of 142 had her in 49th place, nine strokes behind leader and eventual winner Suzann Pettersen. She was closer to not making the cut than winning the event.

Despite the high winds at the Priddis Golf Club in Calgary, Pressel adjusted to the conditions and in the final two rounds, she made an almost Tiger Woods-like comeback. She scored two consecutive rounds of five-under-par 66s, capping off her third-round score – the lowest on the day – with a 30-foot eagle on the 18th hole. That left her in 10th place, nine strokes behind Pettersen.

In a live television broadcast on CBC, Pressel continued to excel in the final round with a birdie on the fifth, three consecutive birdies from the seventh to ninth holes, and two more birdies on the 12th and 16th holes. Despite a bogey on the 13th, when Pressel placed her second shot in the water, she finished as runner-up with a 10-under-par 274, five strokes behind Pettersen and tied with four others, winning $157,477. It was her largest paycheque in 2009.

“I was so happy to put everything together this weekend, as I was so close to not making the cut. My goal today was to play as well as I can and to make as many birdies as possible,” Pressel said after her finish.

“Morgan’s persistence and belief in herself makes her excel, no matter how far behind she is from the leader. She will continue to be a top contender in the LPGA for many years to come,” former LPGA golfer Judy Rankin said on CBC. 

Pressel’s runner-up finish was the best performance by a Jewish golfer in an LPGA Canadian tournament since American Amy Alcott won the 1979 Du Maurier Classic in Montreal. The 21-year-old Pressel rebounded from her 32nd place finish at the 2008 Canadian Open in Ottawa, where she was the guest of honour at a reception hosted by Maccabi Canada.

“I was so excited to have met some wonderful people at the reception last year, and I’m always proud of being Jewish. Although I’m not Canadian, I was elated by being considered a crowd favourite in both Calgary and Ottawa. I definitely will be playing in the Canadian Open for many years to come,” Pressel said.

Her second-place finish at the Canadian Open was only her second runner-up finish this season, along with the Jamie Farr Classic in July. Her ranking improved from 26th to 22nd, and she’s now 17th on the money list this year with $507,581, and she’s earned $2.6 million over her four-year career.

Pressel achieved fame by becoming the youngest major winner in LPGA history when at only 18 years, and 10 months old, she took the Kraft Nabisco Championships (Alcott also won that event). In 2001, when Pressel was 12, she became the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. Pressel’s other LPGA victory was the Kapalua Classic in 2008.

The Boca Raton, Fla., native learned golf from her grandfather, Herb Krickstein, who was also a mentor to his son, American tennis star Aaron Krickstein, who was ranked sixth in the world in 1989.

Since the death of Pressel’s mother, Kathy, to breast cancer at age 43, Morgan has raised more than $800,000 at her own annual fundraising golf tournament.