NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA – Sometimes all you need is a chance. Anna Nordqvist is going to try to prove that on Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Nordqvist, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2009 – in her fifth event as a professional – sits just two shots back of the lead held by Sei Young Kim.
She’ll be in the final group Sunday with Kim and Brooke Henderson.
“I'm very pleased with myself and the way I've been playing the last couple days. That's all I can ask for,” said Nordqvist, who hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since 2017.
“It is a tough golf course, so I feel you can't look behind or look ahead because you have a challenge right in front of you. I feel like on this course anything can happen, but I'm just happy to be in a good position.”
The two-time major champion shot a 2-under 68 on Saturday. She is the only golfer in the field with three rounds in the 60’s at Aronimink.
Nordqvist said the wind has made the difficult layout play even tougher, but she said she stayed patient and kept telling herself that just because a shot may not look tight, it was still solid.
“Sometimes like 30 feet away feels like a good shot,” she said. “The wind makes it really tough out there, and it felt like it was a lot of tucked pins there on the back nine, especially with the way the wind was blowing. I feel like I hit a lot of good shots and kept my patience up out there.”
Some potentially rainy and windy weather is scheduled to blow through the area for Sunday’s finale, but Nordqvist has some experience in winning a major in less-than-ideal conditions. Her second major victory, at The Evian Championship in 2017, came at an event that was shortened to 54 holes due to poor weather.
Despite the fact that she’s only lived in Florida and Arizona since moving to the United States from her native Sweden and said she’s “not fond of the cold,” she’s been enjoying the autumnal setting of Aronimink and it’s showing in her play.
“I guess this is a little bit more similar to conditions that I grew up playing in, but it's been a while since I've played a lot of golf in it. But definitely enjoy seeing like the fall colors because I've only been home once since I turned pro to experience fall,” said Nordqvist. “I'm enjoying it.”
And although Nordqvist hasn’t found the LPGA Tour winner’s circle in more than three years, she is a KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner – and that’s given her a shot of confidence heading into Sunday’s final round as she has a chance to add her name to the trophy once more.
Although she called winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2009 one of her “most proud” moments as a professional, she’ll try to take things one shot at a time on Sunday.
“It's just a great feeling knowing that my name is on the trophy, but I can't really focus too much ahead. I'm just trying to stay in the moment and stick to my game plan,” said Nordqvist. “There are a lot of good golfers up there, and there's been a few good rounds, so anything can happen tomorrow.”
