Having a Korean mother and Japanese father, Nomura moved to South Korea at the age of five and lived in Seoul until she graduated from Myongji High School [ko; ja].

She turned pro in December 2010 after qualifying for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt, finishing tied for 39th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn Priority List Category 20 for the 2011 season.

Her first professional victory came on the LPGA Futures Tour in April 2011 at the Daytona Beach Invitational.

On 21 February 2016, Nomura held off world number one Lydia Ko to win her first LPGA tournament, the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, the first Japanese victory on the LPGA Tour since Mika Miyazato won the Safeway Classic in 2012.

[3][4] With the victory, Nomura moved from 67th to 50th in the Women's World Golf Rankings and into second on the 2016 LPGA Tour Money List.