Anna Nordqvist told Golf Digest that her relationship with Tony Finau is getting better. She talks about the best time she spent in his Bay Area hometown of West Linn, Ore., and how fame wasn’t what it was in Norway. She also tells the story about a technical snafu on a downhill bomb — so dramatic it doubled her shot distance.
I’ve had fun every step of the way with Tony. He’s a great guy, and I think when he started to understand it a bit more, he was also happy for me. I hadn’t really had that much support because of where I was. That’s not to say I don’t get it and appreciate it, but it’s always been a bit of a bit-pole in my way.
I’m pretty confident that I’m going to continue improving and I definitely plan on being more vocal in the next couple of months. It’s helped a lot to talk to the other members, especially Britnie [Brittany Lincicome] because we’re both trying to figure out what people expect of us. I think that gives you confidence, and I have that now. I’m trying to reach out a little bit more and make sure that people know I’m a good teammate.
We’re close to figuring out the right way to approach golf from a celebrity perspective — at least from my perspective. It’s just about finding that balance. I’m trying to figure out how to be sensitive but not overindulge myself at some times, and still have fun but not take it too far. I don’t want to be disrespectful — I think people are respectful because I try to be respectful. I think that if I’m going to do it, I want to do it right.
I’ve had a lot of fun this season, and I think the golf has been fun. The food was fun. The day I ate in Laguna Nigel, it was literally fried potatoes and syrup and brown bread, and it was fun! I get that, for a change.
Tours mean a lot in America, but I was around it for a few years before I got to tour; it’s still just a really cool place and I’ve never been away. It’s weird. I get text messages every two months from everywhere, just to check up on how you’re doing, and they all say the same thing: “We’re in a meeting.” I’m like, “I guess I’m still home.”
My favorite place to go is West Linn. The mountains, snow, shopping — it just really feels like your best friend’s town. We’d have to drive up to Portland because, honestly, it’s just off the beaten path, but we’d love to go to the Oregon coast. Our area is the most rural and the most isolated, but we can still go out and hunt, fish, play golf — it’s just more remote.
This month, I was up in Oregon to watch a few Seahawks games. I was right in the middle of it. And then I went home for a few days and I rode my bike a couple of hours there and back, and had my mom and dad drive. And then I went to Portland to have dinner with my grandparents, and we kind of parked by the river.
I was inspired by how friendly everyone was to me. There was this kid walking the streets, and he was wearing a Dog Bowl hat. I love the Seahawks, but I didn’t really understand it. I got this weird feeling that maybe if I was not screaming all this soccer chatter, he would leave me alone, but he did. Then when I saw this kid have this logo that was next to it, I was like, “Wow, that was awesome.” He was wearing this “Shitty School Jacket” hat. So I was just going through the store to do everything, because I didn’t have any other option. I could buy the hat for $50 or go to the store and buy all the shirts for $15. That would be fun.
When I was younger, I wasn’t one to be super unique. I was more of a meeky meeker person. My mom would always say I tried to do stuff the way I want to do it, but if you want something badly enough, you’ll do anything to make it happen.