Anna Nordqvist closed the curtain on an 18‑year professional playing career with a heartfelt farewell at the FM Championship on Sunday, just 12 days before she steps into the captain’s role for Team Europe at the upcoming Solheim Cup, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The 39‑year‑old Swede, who had announced earlier in the week that the Boston venue would host her final round, finished her last round on the ninth green at TPC Boston surrounded by fellow competitors and their caddies.
She posted a level‑par 72 for the day, ending the tournament one stroke under par for the week. Nordqvist departs the game with an impressive résumé: 16 tour victories, three major championships, 19 top‑10 finishes in majors and five Solheim Cup wins earned over nine consecutive appearances. Over nearly two decades she has crafted a legacy that places her among the most accomplished European golfers of her generation. The emotional moment was underscored when LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley embraced her, and playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn moved her to tears on the very first hole by expressing how honored she felt to share the final round with the legendary Swede.
"Nothing ever prepares you for this moment. I'm definitely going to miss it," Nordqvist said, her voice tinged with both sadness and gratitude. "Part of me feels like I still have so much more left in me, but I'm forever grateful for everything this game and the LPGA family have done for me. I came out on tour in 2009 as a 21‑year‑old with no family in the United States, and everyone has been such a huge support." When asked about the mark she hopes to leave on the sport, she reflected on the non‑linear nature of her journey.
"So many people think your career is a straight line upwards. I feel like I've gone through a lot of ups and downs both on and off the course.
What I want to be remembered for is the fact that I never gave up." Nordqvist admitted that there were moments when she seriously considered hanging up her clubs. "I thought about quitting in 2012, 2013. I was really, really close to walking away. If my younger brother hadn't come out and caddied for me that summer, I don't think I would be sitting here.
So he saved my career," she said, highlighting the crucial role family played in keeping her on the tour. Her first major came in her rookie season in 2009, and she added the Evian Championship in 2017. Yet the triumph that holds the deepest place in her heart is the 2021 AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie. "It's still one of those moments I pinch myself," Nordqvist recalled.
"Did this really happen? No one can ever take that away from me, and it's definitely the most proud moment of my career." Nordqvist’s nine straight Solheim Cup appearances resulted in five European victories.
After serving as a playing vice‑captain in the last two editions, she now turns her full attention to the captaincy—a responsibility she says has consumed her thoughts for the past 18 months. "All the work you put in, you put in for others to prepare for that one week," she explained. "The satisfaction of seeing your hard work pay off won't be until the actual Solheim Cup.
Hopefully the players are going to see all the hard work that me and the rest of the background team have put in, because it really takes a village to make an event like that happen." Family considerations have also weighed heavily on her decision to retire. Nordqvist confessed that she has "missed so many birthdays" over two decades of relentless travel and competition.
In two weeks she will join her nieces and nephews in the Netherlands, where Bernardus Golf will host the first assignment of her post‑playing career. The farewell gifts began even before the final round. Former world No.
1 Lydia Ko presented Nordqvist with a bottle of champagne earlier in the week. At first, Nordqvist wasn’t sure what the drink was. "A really nice bottle of, I think it was champagne, maybe, I'm not sure. I don't drink a ton," she laughed.
The vintage turned out to be from 2009, the year her professional journey started—a fitting tribute. A second bottle, a 2017 vintage, awaited her as she stepped off the course, marking the year she captured the Evian Championship, her first major on European soil. Tears flowed throughout the day, but Nordqvist left the interview room smiling. "So 2017 was a memorable one," she said, adding with a grin, "My mascara is obviously waterproof, 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 ended a 672‑day winless stretch dating back to the 2024 Maybank Championship and featured a bold decision on the final hole, where she ignored caddie David Jones’s advice to play safely and went for the pin, rewarding herself with a decisive birdie. Yin’s triumph marked her sixth career win and, together with her 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, placed her among a select group of six‑time winners who have claimed a major before turning 24—a distinction last achieved by Nelly Korda. Yin becomes the second consecutive Chinese champion at this event, following Miranda Wang’s 2025 victory.
Other notable finishes included Allisen Corpuz in third, while World No. 1 Nelly Korda tied for 50th in what will be her final tournament before the Solheim Cup. England’s Charley Hull and Lottie Woad posted ties for 18th and 27th respectively.
Both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour will observe a brief hiatus before the 20th edition of the Solheim Cup, scheduled to be held at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. Team Europe hopes to reclaim the trophy from the United States. The opening ceremony will be streamed live on Thursday, 10 September, at 4 p.m. on Sky Sports+, with comprehensive coverage across all three days of the biennial contest on Sky Sports Golf.
Broadcasts begin at 6 a.m. on Friday, 11 September, and Saturday, 12 September, featuring two sessions each day, and culminate with a 9 a.m. singles showdown on Sunday, 13 September.
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