ERIN, Wis. – Prior to competing in the U.S. Women`s Open, Maja Stark had been struggling with her confidence. However, letting go of those worries proved instrumental in her claiming the most significant title in women`s golf.
The 25-year-old Swede carded an even-par 72 during Sunday`s final round, maintaining her lead throughout the day. Her final score of 7-under 281 at Erin Hills secured a two-stroke victory over world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Japan`s Rio Takeda.
I think that I just stopped trying to control everything, and I just kind of let everything happen the way it happened.
During the practice days, I realized that, if I just kind of hovered the club above the ground a little bit before I hit, I released some tension in my body. I think that just doing my processes well and knowing, giving myself little things like that, was the key this week because I don`t really want to rely on my confidence for stuff.
— Maja Stark
Stark`s victory makes her the sixth Swedish woman to win a major championship, and the first since Anna Nordqvist won the Women`s British Open in 2021. This is also Stark`s second career title on the LPGA Tour.
The former Oklahoma State University golfer is the first Swede to capture the U.S. Women`s Open title since Annika Sorenstam`s third win in 2006. Liselotte Neumann is the only other Swede to have won the event, doing so in 1988.
Referring to previous Swedish champions, Stark mentioned, “They texted me yesterday and just kind of said, `Bring it home.`”
Stark`s consistent play proved crucial in fending off challenges from Korda and several other competitors.
Korda finished her round with a 71, while Takeda shot 72, resulting in a tie for second place. Hye-Jin Choi carded a 68, Ruoning Yin a 70, and Mao Saigo a 73, finishing tied for fourth at 4-under par. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) finished at 3-under par.
Julia Lopez Ramirez, who played alongside Stark in the final group and started the day just one shot behind, struggled early and finished with a 79, putting her in a tie for 19th place. Her round included a triple bogey on the 18th hole.
This tournament marked Korda`s best finish to date in a U.S. Women`s Open.
Earlier in the week, Korda had described her relationship with the U.S. Women`s Open as `complicated.` Her previous best result was a tie for eighth in 2022, and she missed the cut in 2023 after an opening round of 80.
I played this event when I was 14 years old, so maybe a little bit more emotional about it… definitely it`s gotten my heart broken a couple times. … To have that showing last year definitely put a dagger into my heart, but that`s just golf. You`re going to lose more than you win a majority of the time.
I feel like I actually learn a lot about myself and my game and where I need to improve playing the U.S. Women’s Open because it does test every part of your game.
— Nelly Korda
Korda made birdies on the 7th and 8th holes but missed a 9-foot putt on the 9th that would have pulled her into a tie for the lead. This followed Stark`s bogey on the 7th hole, which ended her streak of 21 holes without a bogey.
Stark increased her lead to three strokes with a 14-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole, shortly after Korda missed a par putt from less than 5 feet on the 13th.
Korda, Shibuno, and Takeda each made birdies on the par-5 14th, narrowing the gap to two strokes behind Stark. Korda had a 14-foot eagle putt attempt, and Shibuno had a 9½-foot eagle attempt, both of which were missed.
Stark responded by making a birdie on the 14th herself, restoring her three-stroke cushion at 9-under par. She held onto this advantage despite recording bogeys on her final two holes.
I didn’t look at the leaderboards until I was on like 17. I caught a glimpse of it. It was nice. I wasn`t as nervous as I thought that I would be because it felt like I have somewhat control of my game and I kind of know what’s going on.
— Maja Stark
Stark gave credit to her caddie, Jeff Brighton, a former standup comedian. She said he helped her stay relaxed by telling jokes and preventing her from overthinking the pressure of the situation.
We just kind of tried to talk about some stuff and not be too into my own putt.
— Maja Stark (referencing her caddie`s approach)
Brighton described Stark, saying, “I would say Maja’s quite an intense player. She tries really hard and is really competitive, so when [a player`s] intense, you’re trying between shots to just get their head away from golf.” Brighton was notably wearing a “cheesehead” hat, similar to those worn by fans of the Green Bay Packers.
Stark`s composure allowed her to secure the $2.4 million prize, the largest purse in women`s golf for the year. Now, she faces the pleasant challenge of deciding how to spend her earnings.
With a smile, Stark joked, “Maybe move out of my studio apartment can be one thing.”
