Anna Nordqvist completed her 18-year professional golf career at the FM Championship at TPC Boston on Sunday, finishing one under par.
The 39-year-old Swede retired just 12 days before she leads Team Europe as captain into the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands. She announced earlier in the week that the tournament in Boston would be her final appearance as a player on the LPGA Tour.
Nordqvist signed off on the ninth green surrounded by fellow players and caddies after shooting a level-par final round to complete the 72-hole event at one under par overall.
Over an 18-year career, Nordqvist earned 16 professional victories, including three major championships, and recorded 19 top-10 finishes in major tournaments.
She represented Europe in nine consecutive Solheim Cup tournaments as a player, winning five titles, and served as a playing vice-captain during the past two editions.
The LPGA Tour is the world's premier professional golf circuit for women, while the Solheim Cup is the biennial team match-play competition contested between female golfers from Europe and the United States.
Emotional farewell round at TPC Boston
Before her final round began, playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn reduced Nordqvist to tears on the first hole by telling her how happy she was to share the Swedish golfer's final competitive round.
Following the round, LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley embraced Nordqvist near the ninth green to congratulate her on her career.
"Nothing ever prepares you for this moment. I'm definitely going to miss it," Nordqvist said after completing her final round.
"Part of me feels like I still have so much more left in me but I'm just forever grateful for everything this game and the LPGA family has done for me."
Reflecting on her start in professional golf, Nordqvist added: "I came out on tour in 2009 as a 21-year-old with no family in the US, and everyone has been just such a huge support."
Major titles and career perseverance
When asked about her legacy, Nordqvist emphasized her resilience through challenging periods throughout her career.
"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," she said.
Nordqvist revealed that she came close to walking away from professional golf early in her career. "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."
Nordqvist captured her first major championship as a rookie in 2009 at the LPGA Championship, added the Evian Championship in France in 2017, and won the 2021 AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie in Scotland.
She identified her victory at Carnoustie Golf Links as the pinnacle of her playing career. "It's still one of those moments I pinch myself," Nordqvist said. "Did this really happen? No one can ever take that away from me, and it's definitely the most proud moment of my career."
Farewell gifts and waterproof mascara
Tributes and gifts marked Nordqvist's final week on tour. Former world number one Lydia Ko presented her with a bottle of wine earlier in the week, which Nordqvist initially struggled to identify.
"A really nice bottle of, I think it was champagne, maybe, I'm not sure. I don't drink a ton," Nordqvist said.
The bottle turned out to be a 2009 vintage, marking the year her LPGA Tour rookie season began. As she finished her round on Sunday, a second bottle of the same label awaited her, a 2017 vintage commemorating the year she won the Evian Championship, her first major title on European soil.
Leaving the interview room smiling despite emotional moments throughout the day, Nordqvist joked about her appearance: "So 2017 was a memorable one. My mascara is obviously waterproof, so that's a good sign."
Full focus turns to Solheim Cup captaincy
Nordqvist now turns her full attention to captaining Team Europe, a responsibility she stated has consumed her for the past 18 months.
"All the work you put in, you put in for others to prepare for that one week," Nordqvist said. "The satisfaction of seeing your hard work pay off won't be until the actual Solheim Cup."
She emphasized the collective effort required to manage the European team: "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 factored heavily into her decision to step away from playing, as she noted missing numerous birthdays over two decades of professional competition. Her nieces and nephews will meet her in two weeks in the Netherlands, where Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt hosts the 2026 Solheim Cup from September 11 to 13.
Ruoning Yin claims FM Championship victory
Ruoning Yin of China won the FM Championship title by two strokes over South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim, ending a 672-day wait for an LPGA Tour victory.
The 23-year-old closed with a two-under-par 70, securing the win with a birdie on the final hole at TPC Boston.
The victory was Yin's first since the Maybank Championship in October 2024.
Aggressive final hole decision seals win
Yin moved into a share of the lead by holing a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-five 12th hole before recording consecutive pars through windy conditions heading into the closing hole.
On the par-five 18th hole, with Kim playing from a fairway bunker, Yin overruled a recommendation from her caddie, David Jones, to play conservatively.
"David told me to aim a little left and I was just like, let's just go for the green, go for the pin," Yin said. "I hit a good shot and I was telling myself, just slow down and make a good tempo, and then I did it."
Historic milestones and leaderboard summary
The win marked the sixth LPGA Tour title of Yin's career. Combined with her 2023 KPMG Women's PGA Championship title, she became just the sixth player in the last 15 years to win six LPGA Tour titles including a major before turning 24, joining a group that includes world number one Nelly Korda.
Yin also became the second consecutive winner from China at the FM Championship, following Miranda Wang's victory in 2025.
Kim finished as runner-up after a three-putt bogey at the 16th hole derailed her title challenge. Allisen Corpuz finished third.
Sei Young Kim shared fourth place alongside Rose Zhang after dropping four shots across three holes following an eagle chip-in at the 11th hole.
World number one Nelly Korda finished tied for 50th in her final event before the Solheim Cup. English golfers Charley Hull and Lottie Woad finished tied for 18th and 27th respectively.
