‘I’m a Fighter’: After Losing a Close Friend Amid Other Tragedies, 9X LPGA Tour Winner Shines Bright at CME Group Tour Championship

The CME Tour Championship 2023 officially started at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida yesterday. Those golfers who filled the spot for the Top 60 players in the Race to CME Globe are playing this week. At stake this week is the $7 million purse, out of which $2 million will be the winner’s share. 

And there is a player on the ground who for the whole year has suffered numerous tragedies. But gathering courage, she has picked up her clubs and sitting in a leading spot, showing the world that she is a warrior.

LPGA pro fights professional and personal demons at season finale

After the first round yesterday, these names are sitting on the Top 10 at the CME Group Tour – Ruoning Yin, Minjee Lee, Jennifer Kupcho, Allison Lee, and others. Sitting on a solo fourth is Anna Nordqvist. The Swedish golfer wrapped the round with seven-under par, which is a good start at such a big competition. But this is a tough time for Anna, who went through some personal tragedies this year.

After a pending divorce during which her husband Kevin McAlpine passed away, it broke the spirit of Nordqvist. She was uncertain whether she would play at all this year. However, after assembling much courage, she displayed strength on the course.

During the presser of the CME Tour, she was asked how she was dealing with her personal losses. Nordqvist turned emotional and answered, “Without trying to cry, but I’ve been honest with everyone. I’m not doing very well. It’s been a lot of ups and downs just trying to fight. Last Sunday I made a decision to go to Tampa. I could hit three golf balls without being totally out of breath.”

The valor she has exhibited to try to overcome her grief while trying to maintain her career is commendable indeed. “So it’s been 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 an extended time off after this,” she added. It has been a tough year for Anna, full of ups and downs.

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Anna Nordqvist’s year was full of tragedies

This year in February, Anna stepped back from the LPGA tour due to personal reasons. During this time, she missed the Chevron Championship as well. In August 2023, Anna Nordqvist announced a divorce from husband Kevin McAlpine. Around the same time, she withdrew from the Freed Group Scottish Women’s Open. After two months, while she was playing at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea, her ex-husband suddenly passed away. Anna immediately withdrew from the championship.

Now, she is focusing on healing herself. She hasn’t seen her family in the last couple of weeks because she has been in America. After the tournament, she plans on spending time with her family and her beloved dog, as she tries to rebuild the broken parts of her.

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