Captaincy is the Light at the End of the Tunnel for Anna Nordqvist

Anna Nordqvist, one of the most successful and important players in Solheim Cup history, has been named captain of Team Europe for 2026. Her impressive resume includes nine Solheim Cup appearances—winning 17 of her 35 Solheim Cup matches (only halving three matches in her career), and making the first hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history. Over the last two Cups, she’s taken up the role of playing vice captain under the guidance of good friend Suzann Pettersen.

Outside the Cup, Nordqvist remains just as impressive—ammassing three majors, winner, six LPGA titles and four LET titles over the course of her career.

But over the last few seasons, Nordqvist’s on-course performance has been the least of her worries. Amidst the announcement of her captaincy—the 37-year-old has opened up about her recent struggles. In an interview with Swedish news agency TT, Nordqvist shared how she has been experiencing anxiety and has been under incredible stress for many years, undergoing therapy and learning trauma management to help her handle stress and hormonal issues.

Her life changed dramatically in 2023.

In an Instagram post, showcasing her tattoo reading “I am enough”, a sentiment Nordqvist has used to get her through tough times, the Swede revealed that she was separating from her husband, Kevin McAlpine, who was an LPGA caddie.

Sadly, while the divorce was being processed, Alpine suddenly passed away, at the age of 39.

News of this nature obviously weighs heavy on a person, and Nordqvist understandably so asked for her privacy during this time. However, the struggles for Nordqvist had sadly carried over into 2024.

Over the summer, Nordqvist had gone to see a doctor and discovered that she had a grapefruit-sized cyst in her stomach. During the off season, she underwent surgery (the first surgery of her life) at a cancer unit in Arizona to get it removed. She found out later that it was benign.

It’s been one thing after another for Nordqvist, but it feels like she’s reaching the light at the end of a very dark tunnel in her personal life.

The announcement of her captaincy feels like she’s turning a new page and ready to enter a brighter chapter—for an event that has been so crucial to her career.

Nordqvist told Golfweek, “I think my life perspective is very different now … I would say I'm like [a] completely different person, but like I'm really not. I'm just more myself, and I'm happy and content with where I'm at. It's taken quite a lot of therapy, a lot of work to deal with a lot of the trauma that I've had to deal with, but I think I just wake up every day just trying to make the best.”

With a new outlook on life, Nordqvist feels like the very best choice to lead the Europeans next September, when the Solheim Cup returns to European soil at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands.

After a loss to the U.S. team back in September Team Europe is building one hell of a rallying cry—which will make Nordqvist’s job that much easier. Her future team will be fired up and playing with massive chips on their shoulders to do whatever it takes to bring the cup back in front of their home crowds.

The energy, camaraderie, and emotions behind a Solheim Cup is unlike anything else in women’s golf, and there’s no one that embodies that more than Nordqvist—she’s been an intrinsic member of that team for more than a decade, and it feels fitting that her 10th will be served as captain.

“Whether we were winning or losing, the Solheim Cup has played such a huge part in my career ever since I made my debut in 2009 in Chicago," Nordqvist said the press release announcement. “The friendships I have made, and the memories created during the nine matches I’ve played, make it so incredibly special to be given the opportunity to be European Captain at my tenth Solheim Cup!”