Major champion Anna Nordqvist is the only back-to-back champion of the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, winning the event in 2015 and 2016. On Friday, she again showed why she loves the Bay Course at Seaview, a Dolce Hotel. The Swede carded a bogey-free, 5-under 66 in the first round, making five birdies, three of which came in a four-hole stretch from Nos. 9 to 12. It’s her second-lowest first-round score of the 2023 season – Nordqvist opened with a 7-under 65 at the Honda LPGA Thailand – and is her first round of 5-under or better since the third round of that same event in Thailand. Though her scores haven’t been super deep in the red as of late, the Friday 66 suggests that her game is headed in a positive direction and Nordqvist hopes that trajectory continues with only two rounds left to play in the 54-hole event.
“I got off to a really good start. I hit it stiff on the first hole and made another birdie from probably six feet on hole No. 12. So, felt like I played steady,” said Nordqvist, whose last LPGA Tour victory came at the 2021 AIG Women’s Open. “Not too much wind the first couple holes, so it started blowing a little bit more. I felt like I gave myself a lot of good chances. Couple funky bounces, but that's usually expected out here. Good speed control on the greens, and it was really nice to finish with the birdie on the last.”
This is Nordqvist’s eighth start of the 2023 season, and so far, the 9-time LPGA Tour winner has been incredibly consistent. She’s only missed one cut and has two top-10 finishes, a tie for tenth at the Honda LPGA Thailand and a ninth at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards. She also has three additional top 20s to her credit, and ahead of the week in Galloway, N.J., Nordqvist was leading the Tour in greens in regulation (76.26%). As she looks ahead to the weekend, Nordqvist won’t deviate too much from her game plan and will continue to rely on the positive vibes she says she always feels at Seaview to propel her forward in pursuit of her 10th career LPGA Tour title.
“I have a lot of friends in the area that come out and support me. I feel very welcome. It's nice to have the spectators cheering you on. I feel like when you do well at a golf course there is a lot of good memories, so I think that gives you a little bit of confidence and just like puts you in a really good state,” she said. “I guess it's something about this place. Off to a good start and I'm just very happy to be back playing here. I have a lot of friends at Galloway National down the road, so been hanging out this week over there. Probably going to head there for dinner tonight and just hang out. But, get some rest and be prepared for tomorrow.”
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