Sunday at the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, felt like a series of bonuses to Carl Pettersson.

First came a scary, downhill chip from 25 feet out of the rough on the par-5 11th hole that had bogey written all over it until Pettersson knocked it in for birdie to restore his three-shot lead. The victory was sweet because tournament host Jack Nicklaus was waiting to shake his hand when he walked off the 18th green.

And when it was over, Pettersson was awarded a day off today instead of grinding through U.S. Open qualifying.

"I wasn't thinking about that at all," Pettersson said after closing with a 1-under 71 for a two-shot victory over Brett Wetterich and Zach Johnson. "I was just trying to get the job done on the back nine. To win it is just phenomenal."

The 28-year-old Swede earned a small measure of redemption.

Pettersson was No. 51 in the world ranking, missing by one-hundredth of a point getting into the top 50 and earning an exemption into the U.S. Open. He had planned to go through a 36-hole qualifier the day after the Memorial, but his second victory over the last 12 months was enough to get him to Winged Foot.

Nicklaus didn't know much about Pettersson, who doesn't meet any stereotypes. He was born in Sweden, but wears traditional golf clothes, rarely passes up a meal and doesn't much care for hockey. He lives in North Carolina and doesn't pay attention to NASCAR.

During his interview, Nicklaus asked him questions about where he lived and how he met his wife.

As for the golf? That looked all too familiar to the Golden Bear.

"Your winner played the best golf, and that's what it boils down to," Nicklaus said.

Pettersson finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1.035 million. Along with the great wedge work and big putts, he was 7 of 9 in sand saves around the green, and hit only one fairway bunker the whole week, crucial at a tournament that experimented with gap-tooth rakes that left furrows in the sand.

ELSEWHERE

ShopRite LPGA Classic: South Korean rookie Seon-Hwa Lee won her first LPGA Tour title, closing with an 8-under 63 to surge past Annika Sorenstam and several other contenders for a three-stroke victory at Galloway Township, N.J. The 20-year-old Lee, second three times this year, birdied her last two holes to finish with the lowest round of the tournament and a 16-under 197 total. Sorenstam (67), Jeong Jang (64) and Sherri Steinhauer (66) tied for second.

Allianz Championship: Gil Morgan rallied from two strokes down on the final two holes to win the Champions Tour event by a shot at West Des Moines, Iowa. The 59-year-old Morgan closed with a 4-under 67 to finish at 16-under 197 and break the tournament record by two strokes. Loren Roberts (67) finished second.

Wales Open: Sweden's Robert Karlsson shot a 2-over 71 for a three-stroke victory at Newport, Wales, his first win since the 2002 European Masters. Karlsson finished at 16-under 260. England's Paul Broadhurst (68) finished second.