Getting to Know Anna Nordqvist: 18Birdies Player Profile

Since turning pro in 2009, Anna Nordqvist has been one of the most successful golfers in the world. The 6-foot Swede has tallied eight victories and 61 top 10 finishes over the course of her career, and she currently sits at No. 5 in the Rolex Ranking. She couldn’t have achieved any of it, however, without her family, she said.

“I grew up with two very supportive parents who gave me and my two brothers the opportunity to play any sport we wanted growing up,” she said. “They would always work hard to drive us around to matches, practice, and trainings.”

Having two brothers didn’t hurt either. Not only have they supported Nordqvist throughout her professional golf career, but they also provided tough competition when she was younger. Now 30, Nordqvist is one of the most consistent golfers on the LPGA Tour. Over the last five years, she’s competed in 122 tournaments and made 116 cuts.

This year marks Nordqvist’s tenth anniversary on Tour. Though she’s gained experience she hasn’t lost any of the drive that got her where she is today.

“I love to win tournaments,” she said. “That’s my biggest motivation, and I would also like to win the Solheim Cup in Europe in 2019.”

Over the course of her career, Nordqvist has played in five Solheim Cups and she said nothing matches the event when it comes to atmosphere. Nordqvist has played some of the best golf of her career while representing her country. In the 2017 Solheim Cup, she scored more points for Europe than any other player. Notching two wins in foursomes, one in fourballs and splitting a point in singles after a memorable match against American Lexi Thompson. Nordqvist also made Solheim Cup history in 2013 as the first woman to hit a hole-in-one at the tournament.

Anna getting ready for the 2018 season

Nordqvist has not only had the honor of representing Europe in international play, but she also played for Sweden at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She finished an impressive 11th, but for Nordqvist, the experience of playing in the Olympics was about more than the final results.

“I am leaving Rio with a smile on my face this morning,” she wrote on Facebook after the tournament. “I’m looking back at some of the best days of my life. Representing Team Sweden in the Olympics has been a dream come true and an experience I can’t even put into words.”

Nordqvist’s success on the LPGA Tour started early. In 2009, her first full season, she won the McDonald’s LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock Golf Club in Havre de Grace, Maryland. She shot a 68 on Sunday, finishing 15 under par for the tournament. She wrapped up the year with another big victory at the LPGA Tour Championship Presented by Rolex.

“Early success meant that I knew I had my LPGA card secured for the first couple years and I could focus on settling down and figure out life as a golf professional,” she said.

Nordqvist, known for her prowess on the golf course, is also touted for her sportsmanship. In 2016, she lost the U.S. Women’s Open to Brittany Lang in a three-hole playoff after she took a two-stroke penalty for grounding her club. Nordqvist handled the disappointment with grace. There have been setbacks along the way as well, but the Swede has persevered. While suffering from mono last year, she managed to finish seventh at the RICOH Women’s British Open. The LPGA Pro understands hard work and refuses to allow road bumps to rattle her.

“It means a lot to be a role model,” she said. “Nothing I’ve had in my life has come easy for me and I had to work really hard at everything that I’ve accomplished and got in my life, so I think I’ve always had a mentality of never giving up and trying to make the best at what I had.”

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