SAN MARTIN, Calif. – Anna Nordqvist said she didn’t know she grounded her club in the fairway bunker at No. 17 on the second hole of her playoff loss to Brittany Lang on Sunday at the U.S. Women’s Open.
The two-shot penalty, assessed as she played the 18th hole, left her little chance to win.
“I had a 5-iron, downhill lie, just focusing on hitting my shot, and apparently I touched the sand,” Nordqvist said. “It wasn’t on purpose. Just one of those things. I have to deal with the consequences. Unfortunately, it happened, but it’s not the end of the world.”
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Nordqvist didn’t dispute the ruling, but she questioned the timing of the penalty and why it took so long to apply after a video review. She also wondered why the USGA told her she was being penalized after she hit her third shot at the 18th hole but told Lang before she hit her third shot there.
“I wish the USGA would have told me a little bit earlier,” Nordqvist said. “I don’t know if it would have changed the outcome, but it certainly would have changed my aggressiveness into the 18th pin.”
Nordqvist was philosophical in the end.
“Brittany played well all week,” Nordqvist said. “Hey, I still finished second in the U.S. Open. I don’t think anyone should feel sorry for me. It’s just golf. It happens. Hopefully, we can all learn from it, and, hopefully, we can all get better.”
