Carl Pettersson was born on 29th August, 1977 in Gothenburg, Sweden. At the age of 14 he moved to America with his family Pettersson went to North Carolina State University before turning pro in 2000 and won a card for the European Tour via the Qualifying school.

He played in Europe for two years winning one event before moving back to America. In 2005 he became the third Swede to win a PGA Tour event when he claimed the Chrysler Championship. He then went on to win the Memorial Tournament in 2006.