Sitting at an unwieldly 6-over, Anna Nordqvist needed a birdie to play the weekend at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Though it took her a whopping 35 putts to get around the Lower Course at Baltusrol Golf Club on Friday, she found the birdie she needed on the 7th green and managed to get up and down on the par-3, 9th hole to finish at 5-over and make the cut on the number.
It was also what Nordqvist needed to get her game back on track. On Sunday – just two days later – the Swede walked into scoring at 6-under overall which was good enough to finish in a tie for third at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“This is my fifth week in a row and I feel like I’ve been burning edges for four and a half weeks,” Nordqvist told the media on Sunday. “It was finally nice to see some putts go in over the weekend.
“I would say it’s been a frustrating couple weeks on the greens. Don’t feel like I necessarily have been putting that bad. I’ve been hitting good putts; they just haven’t been dropping. I think finally seeing that putt on the last hole to make the cut when it matters the most – I don’t know if it lit up a little spark in me – but definitely the last two days, just making those important putts has been the difference.”
In fact, Nordqvist’s putter was the only club in the bag that seemed to make a difference in her game and that could be the catalyst for her improved scores as everything else she did from tee to green remained consistent. In the first and second rounds, the 36-year-old hit 33 and 35 putts respectively, but on Saturday and Sunday, Nordqvist made quick work of Baltusrol Golf Club, needing just 27 and 28 putts respectively to fire rounds of 66 and 65.
Nordqvist’s T3 result is her best of the season by far and the first time she has come close to hoisting a trophy. Before Sunday, she had just barely cracked the top 10, finishing in a tie for 10th at the Honda LPGA Thailand and ninth at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play presented by MGM Rewards.
Last season, Nordqvist only found two top 10s and didn’t record a top-five finish until the final event of the season, a solo third place that came at the CME Group Tour Championship. Now, she’s hoping that finishing well much earlier in the season will create some momentum going forward.
“We've got a busy summer ahead,” Nordqvist said. “I usually don’t play five in a row, so I’m a little beat. But very excited to finish on a good note. I think it just tells me I’m doing the right thing.
“It’s been a lot for me this spring but been trying to keep fighting and do the best I can every day. I’ve had a lot of supportive people around me every day telling me to just keep fighting and do my best because that’s all I can do. That’s the motto I’m taking into the summer: Work hard, you never know when it’s going to pay off.”
It will indeed be a very busy summer for Nordqvist and some good vibes from her finish this week will certainly go a long way. Besides the final three majors coming up and the slew of tournaments in between, Nordqvist will also be preparing for the Solheim Cup as a vice captain…hopefully a playing one.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Nordqvist said of the biannual match play competition between Europe and America. “I’ve been very fortunate to be picked as a vice captain this year. I love Suzann (Pettersen), she’s awesome. She’s one of my closest friends, and just being able to be a vice captain under her is a true honor.
“But I want to play this one. All my family is coming. My nieces and nephews haven’t really seen me play, so they’re very excited for the opportunity. I think they have a lot planned as far as their costumes. They missed out on '21, so I think they saved a lot of energy for this one.”
If she’s lucky, the summer sun will keep Nordqvist’s putter red hot so she can put on a show for her family at Finca Cortesin in September.
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