KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2023

Anna Nordqvist

Baltusrol Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here with Anna Nordqvist. What a way to close out this major championship. What was working so well for you today?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Well, I felt like already yesterday, I played really solid. I gave myself a lot of chances and finally started seeing some putts. This is my fifth week in a row, and I feel like I've been burning edges for four and a half weeks. It was finally nice to see some putts go in over the weekend.

I grinded really hard on Friday. My body or mind wasn't really in the game, and ended up having to birdie my 16th hole, and then I made an up-and-down -- I think I made about a 10, 12-footer to make the cut on the number. Obviously very fortunate to be playing this weekend.

Yeah, just very proud of myself and my caddie how we've been working the last couple weeks and preparing and a love major championships and I love when the pressure is the most, but definitely fun to have some momentum.

It was pretty slow out there, so it was hard to capitalize on the momentum, but I really tried my best to stay in it all day and even during the break, but yeah, very proud of myself.

Q. At what point today did you really feel in the mix?

ANNA NORDQVIST: I tried not to really worry about what everyone else was doing and just keep my mind as clear as possible. I knew it was probably a long shot, but I think when I made a great birdie on 10 and a really good putt on 12 and then we called for the rain delay, but I wasn't really too worried about winning. I just tried to play my game and do the best I can. I'm obviously very happy with my score today.

Q. There was a lot of fist pumping out there. You could feel the momentum. What kind of momentum can this give you going forward, the weekend that you had?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, definitely, just knowing -- I've been staying with this couple that I've known for over 10, 12 years, and they keep telling me, everything will be all right, just stay in there. I had a really rough day on Friday, and I came home to a really nice note, which meant a lot, so I carried that one in my yardage book for the week.

So their encouragement meant a lot. They came out to support me.

But yeah, definitely knowing that you can pull off the shots when it matters the most, these are the tournaments that gets my adrenaline going. Very excited, and hopefully this will set up for a good summer.

Q. I feel like putting has been what's bogged you down the last couple seasons. What did you find this week? You must have found something special.

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, 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 maybe even seeing that putt on the last hole to make the cut when it matters the most, kind of recognizing a little bit like 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.

Q. These two rounds blow your last two finishing rounds of the season out of the water. These are the best by a mile. What does that do for your confidence the rest of the season?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, we've got a busy summer ahead, and I usually normally don't play five in a row, so I'm a little beat. But very excited to finish on a good note.

But 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 just keep fighting and do the best I can every day, and I've had a lot of supportive people around me there every day, like telling me to just keep fighting and do my best because that's all I can do.

I think that's kind of the motto I'm taking into the summer: Work hard, and you never know when it's going to pay off. This weekend was a great weekend on the greens.

Q. Obviously assistant captain at Solheim. Suzann asked you to be a playing assistant captain; what would your answer be?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, that's my plan. I played with Celine Boutier today, and she said, you're playing, right? And I said, yeah.

I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've been very fortunate to be picked as a vice captain this year. I love Suzann. She's awesome. She's one of my closest friends, and just being able to be a vice captain under her, it's 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, and they missed out on '21, so I think they saved a lot of energy for this one.

Q. How do you feel this golf course changed in the last 48 hours?

ANNA NORDQVIST: Yeah, I mean, it definitely made it more playable when the greens weren't as firm. I came into this week, and I couldn't really get a feel for the golf course at all. I don't know if I was a big fan.

But I think the more I played it, the more I appreciated it. There's a lot of blind tee shots, and there's a few tilting fairways. You've just got to really be spot on. I was a little bit off with my driver the first two days, and you miss it in the rough by a yard, and sometimes you've got to just chip it out 60, 70 yards.

But yeah, definitely with the greens softening up a little bit, but I think also just learning how some of the greens react.

I found 15 very hard this week. I think I played it 4-over. But in general you've got to hit a lot of good shots out there to score.