Anna Nordqvist to retire after FM Championship, weeks before Solheim Cup captaincy
Anna Nordqvist, a three-time major champion and one of Europe's most decorated Solheim Cup players, will retire from professional golf after this week's FM Championship near Boston. The 39-year-old Swede announced the decision in a social media post on August 26, 2026, writing that she wants to focus on her health and her family. The tournament at Norton, Massachusetts begins on August 27 and runs through August 30.
The timing carries its own weight. Less than two weeks after her final competitive rounds, Nordqvist will lead Europe as captain at the Solheim Cup — the women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup, pitting Europe against the United States — at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands on 11–13 September. She has featured in each of the previous nine editions as a player, debuting in 2009 and helping Europe lift the trophy on five occasions.
Her playing record spans 18 years and three major championships. She won her first major at the LPGA Championship in 2009, added the Evian Championship in 2017, and claimed the Women's Open in 2021. Across the LPGA and Ladies European tours she has won 14 times, with 16 professional victories worldwide and $14.1m (£10.36m) in career earnings.
Recent seasons have been harder. Nordqvist is currently ranked 118th in the world. She tied for seventh at the Evian Championship in July 2025 and finished tied for 29th at the most recent Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes. The summer of 2024 brought surgery to remove a benign cyst from her stomach. The previous year, her husband, the former professional golfer Kevin McAlpine, died suddenly aged 39 while the couple were going through a divorce.
Nordqvist said the decision to step away came down to prioritising what lies beyond the ropes. She leaves with a career that few in the women's game can match — three majors, nearly two decades on tour, and a Solheim Cup record that places her among Europe's all-time greats.
For casual fans, the Solheim Cup offers the immediate storyline. A captain who has just played her last tournament stepping straight into the leadership role is rare in any sport. Nordqvist knows the event from the inside better than almost anyone alive. Now she has to run it from outside the ropes, and she has just over two weeks to make the shift.
The FM Championship at Norton, Massachusetts will be her last tournament as a player. The Solheim Cup at Bernardus Golf will be her first as captain. BBC Sport
