In 2006, Nordqvist was the runner-up at the British Amateur Championship and won the European Team Amateur. At Arizona State University, she was named 2007 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Freshman of the Year and also earned back-to-back NGCA First-Team All-American and Academic All-American honors in 2007-08. Nordqvist was the 2007 Pacific Athletic Conference (Pac-10) Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and co-champion.

In 2008, she was named to the Pac-10 First Team and All-Academic Second Team. She was a co-medalist at the 2008 PING/ASU Invitational and tied for fifth at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Nordqvist won the 2008 Ladies British Open Amateur and represented Sweden at the World Amateur Team Championships, which they won. She made the cut at both the 2007 and 2008 RICOH Women's British Open and earned low amateur honors in 2008.

Nordqvist tied for 25th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in 2008 to earn Priority List Category 16 for the 2009 LPGA season; turned professional immediately following the final round.
In 2009 the Swede became the season's second (of six) Rolex First-Time Winner at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, the second major championship of the year; carded a career-low 66 in the first round.

Nordqvist also qualified for her first European Solheim Cup Team, joining Tania Elosegui as LPGA rookies on the 12-member squad; one of three Solheim Cup rookies on the team.

In 2010, Nordqvist won the Mojo 6 (an unofficial LPGA event). Her other highlight of 2010 came when she tied for second at the LPGA State Farm Classic, narrowly losing to Christie Kerr by just one stroke. She also managed to finish in the top 10 on three other occasions.

2011 saw Nordqvist record her season best result at The Lorena Ochoa Invitational where she finished T-2. Nordqvist ranked 4th on the tour in birdies in 2012 and made 26 cuts from 28 events played.