Anna Nordqvist closed the curtain on an 18‑year professional golf career with a moving farewell at the FM Championship on Sunday, just 12 days before she steps onto the podium as captain of Team Europe for the Solheim Cup, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The 39‑year‑old Swede, who earlier this week confirmed that the Boston event would be her final appearance, wrapped up her last round on the ninth green at TPC Boston surrounded by fellow competitors and their caddies. She posted a level‑par 72 in the final round, finishing the tournament one stroke under par for the week.
Nordqvist departs the sport with a résumé that includes 16 tour victories, three major championships, 19 top‑ten finishes in majors and five Solheim Cup wins earned across nine straight team appearances. Over nearly two decades she has assembled a body of work that places her among the most accomplished European golfers of her generation.
LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley gave her a warm embrace, while playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn reduced her to tears almost immediately on the first tee by expressing how honored she felt to share the legendary Swede's final round. "Nothing ever prepares you for a moment like this. I’m definitely going to miss it," Nordqvist said, her voice wavering.
"A part of me still feels I have so much left to give, but I am forever grateful for everything the game and the LPGA family have done for me. I arrived on tour in 2009 as a 21‑year‑old with no family in the United States, and the support I’ve received has been incredible." When pressed about the legacy she hopes to leave, Nordqvist reflected, "People often picture a career as a straight upward line, but mine has been full of peaks and valleys, both on and off the course. I want to be remembered for never giving up. I seriously considered quitting in 2012 and 2013.
I was that close to walking away. If my younger brother hadn’t stepped in to caddie for me that summer, I doubt I’d be standing here now. He literally saved my career." The Swede’s first major came in her rookie season, when she captured the 2009 LPGA Championship.
She later added the Evian Championship in 2017, but the triumph that means the most to her is the 2021 AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie. "It still feels surreal," she admitted. "I keep pinching myself, wondering if it really happened. No one can ever take that away from me—it’s the proudest moment of my career." Nordqvist’s nine consecutive Solheim Cup appearances yielded five victories for Europe, and after serving as a playing vice‑captain in the last two editions, she is now turning her full attention to the captaincy—a role that has consumed her thoughts for the past 18 months.
"All the work you put in is ultimately for the benefit of the team during that one week of competition," she explained. "The true satisfaction won’t be felt until the Cup itself. I hope the players see the dedication of me and the entire support staff, because it really does take a village to stage an event of that magnitude." Family considerations have also been central to her decision to retire. Nordqvist confessed that she has "missed so many birthdays" over two decades of constant travel and competition.
In two weeks she will join her nieces and nephews in the Netherlands, where Bernardus Golf will host her first assignment as captain. The transition was hinted at even before the final round. Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko presented Nordqvist with a bottle of champagne earlier in the week, a gift she initially struggled to identify.
It turned out to be a 2009 vintage—the same year her rookie season began—a symbolic gesture that felt fitting. A second bottle, from 2017, commemorated her Evian Championship win, marking another milestone. Despite the emotional day, Nordqvist left the interview room smiling, even joking about her waterproof mascara after a tear‑filled ceremony.
"2017 was definitely memorable," she said. "My mascara held up, so that’s a good sign." The tournament itself was won by China’s Ruoning Yin, who edged out South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim by two strokes. Yin’s victory marked her sixth career win and, together with her 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, made her the sixth player in the past 15 years to claim six LPGA titles—including a major—before turning 24, joining the ranks of Nelly Korda.
Yin’s decisive moment came on the final par‑five when she ignored caddie David Jones’s advice to play safe, instead attacking the pin and securing the birdie that sealed the win. The LPGA and Ladies European Tours will pause for a week before the 20th Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf, where Europe hopes to reclaim the trophy from the United States. The opening ceremony airs live on Thursday, 10 September at 4 pm on Sky Sports+, with comprehensive coverage over the three‑day contest. The event promises to be a fitting culmination of Nordqvist’s playing career and the beginning of her new chapter as a leader, mentor, and ambassador for European women’s golf.