The European Solheim Cup captain has announced that she is walking away from the professional game.
Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist has announced she will retire after this week’s FM Championship.
Nordqvist will walk away from the professional game entirely, despite strong performances this season that had many questioning whether she could have played on her own European team next month at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands.
“It’s with a grateful heart I am retiring from playing professional golf in Boston this week,” Nordqvist, a three-time major champion and nine-time Solheim Cup player, wrote on social media.
The 39-year-old Swede added: “Twenty years ago I came to the US with two suitcases, a golf bag and a dream of one day competing with the best golfers in the world.
“While my dreams never quite took me this far, I am very proud of myself for how far I’ve come and grateful for the dream I’ve been able to live ever since. I can’t say it has always been easy, especially being so far away from my family, but they have supported me every step of the way.
“I’ve fallen so many times, but I never gave up and I stood up every time I fell. I am forever thankful for everything this game has given me and the people I have met along the way.
“I don’t know how to say goodbye to something that means so much to me, but this is going to be my last week walking inside the ropes competing on tour.
“I am not sure what the future has in store for me, but it is with a grateful heart I have decided to retire from playing professional golf to focus on my health and my family. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this journey and been part of it along the way. It has meant the world to me.”
Nordvist won her first major, the Women’s PGA Championship on just her fifth LPGA start in 2009 and has cemented her legacy with wins at the Evian Championship in 2017 and the Women’s Open in 2021.
She has nine LPGA victories in total and has earned over $14million in prize money across her garlanded career.