NAPLES, Fla. — Nine-time LPGA Tour winner Anna Nordqvist is near the top of the leaderboard at the CME Group Tour Championship after opening her week at Tiburón Golf Club with a 7-under 65 that saw her bogey and eight little birds. Nordqvist got off to a good start, making four birdies in her first seven holes, including a pair of back-to-back birdies on holes 6 and 7 to turn in 32.
He grabbed another birdie on the par-4 10th hole to move to 5-under and picked up two more birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 to move to 7-under overall. The Swede dropped a shot after bogeying the par-3 16th hole but quickly recovered with a birdie on the par-5 17th hole, carding 18 to card a 65, her lowest round since the final day of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Lower Golf Course in June.
It is the second time this season that Nordqvist has opened with a round of 65 or better, and the last time she did so was Thursday at the Honda LPGA Thailand, where the Swede eventually finished in a tie for 10th place. The 65 is her lowest round in 13 total CME Group Tour Championship appearances and ties her second-lowest first-round score on the LPGA Tour.
It’s fair to say the 36-year-old was a little surprised at how low she went on day one at Tiburón Golf Club, as the venue never felt comfortable despite recording five top-15 results in her previous 12 starts, mostly solo finishes third here last year. But the course certainly seems to suit her game for one reason or another, and she took full advantage of that fact Thursday in Naples, Florida.
“I come here every year and I feel like this course doesn’t really suit me, so I don’t know what it is,” said Nordqvist, whose 65 is her 17th round in the 60s at the CME Group Tour Championship. “I got to play with the commissioner in the pro-am this week and she asked me, do you like this course? I said, well, maybe it’s not good for me, but I know I had a great round on Sunday last year. Overall, I have to hit a lot of good shots. I feel like it’s an impressive ball path and maybe that’s why it suits me.”
This year has been an incredibly demanding year for the grand champion. In addition to dealing with some health issues, Nordqvist’s former partner Kevin McAlpine died unexpectedly on October 19 while in Korea Republic for the BMW Ladies Championship, which she eventually withdrew from. Although she hasn’t shared many details about exactly what she’s been through, Nordqvist has been bravely open about the struggles she’s faced off the golf course and how difficult it has been for her throughout 2023.
“I’ve been honest with everybody. I’m not doing very well,” Nordqvist said. “It was a fight, but I wanted to come here, do it for myself, show that I’m a fighter. At the end of the day I’m only human and I’m going to take a long break after this. I haven’t seen my family in the last two weeks because I’ve been in the US, but three more days and I’ll be able to see my dog again and try to rebuild.”
Some may question Nordqvist’s choice to compete these past two weeks with everything she’s done outside of the game. But she’s always been one to face adversity head-on, having dealt with more illness and injury in her 15-year career than most of her peers, and her decision to show it this week at the CME Tour Team Championship is just the latest testament to Nordqvist’s resilience , further proof of how strong the Swede really is when life gets tough.
“Knowing that I’m a fighter and I never give up, I didn’t want to wait until February to give it another shot. I felt like I had to get back to work. Like you have to start somewhere,” Nordqvist said. “Seeing everybody, surrounding myself with all the other players and the players and everybody’s been so supportive. I think that’s just what I need right now. I think I’m relying on everybody out here to push me.
“I’m proud of myself. I felt that just getting to the first tee this week was a victory in itself. If I can be an inspiration to others to keep fighting, there are always things that happen and as much as we want Life to it’s smooth, it really isn’t. But I’ve fallen down many times before and I’m proud to get back up every time. I’ll keep pushing and a little break will do me good. I hope to come back feeling better next year.”