Pettersen had a 1-up lead and Kerr faced a 10-foot birdie attempt when the Norwegian drained a 15-footer for birdie at the final hole of the championship match to seal the triumph.
Pettersen raised her arms then dropped to her knees in relief and exhaustion after six demanding rounds that included four in the past two days.
The world number three quickly rose and offered fans a thumbs-up sign.
"I dug deep for this one," said Pettersen, who likened the six rounds of matches to a return to qualifying school. What made it harder, she noted, was that her matches came against her friends on the tour in a match play format that's somehow more personal than stroke play.
"This is special," she said.
The 30-year-old Norwegian never trailed in the match as she won her first title since capturing the Canadian Women's Open in September of 2009.
Pettersen had six runner-up finishes last year.
Kerr missed some chances to at least pressure Pettersen. She missed four putts from inside 10 feet, all to win holes.
She did make a three-footer to save par and extend the match at 16, and made a 10-footer for birdie at 17 to trim Pettersen's lead.
Earlier Sunday, Pettersen defeated top-seeded Korean Na Yeon Choi 4 and 2 in the semi-finals.
Kerr defeated fellow American Angela Stanford 1-up in the semi-finals.
In the consolation match, Choi defeated Stanford 4 and 3.
-AFP
Tags: sport, golf, norway, united-states First posted May 23, 2011 11:53:00
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