Swedish golfer Maja Stark entered the U.S. Women`s Open having struggled with her confidence. However, her decision to stop dwelling on those worries propelled her to victory in the most significant tournament in women`s golf.
The 25-year-old Swede maintained her lead throughout Sunday, carding an even-par 72. Her final four-day score at Erin Hills stood at 7-under 281, two strokes clear of world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Japan`s Rio Takeda, who shared second place.
Reflecting on her mindset, Stark said, “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.”
Stark becomes the sixth Swedish woman to win a major championship and the first since Anna Nordqvist`s triumph at the 2021 Women`s British Open. This win also marks Stark`s second career LPGA Tour title.
The former Oklahoma State player is the first Swede to lift the U.S. Women`s Open trophy since Annika Sorenstam`s third victory in 2006. Liselotte Neumann is the only other Swede to have won this event, back in 1988.
Stark mentioned receiving messages of support from fellow Swedish winners, who simply told her, “Bring it home.”
Stark`s steady performance proved to be the decisive factor as she successfully held off the challenges from Korda and a host of other contenders.
Korda finished her round with a 71, while Takeda posted a 72, tying for second. Hye-Jin Choi (68), Ruoning Yin (70), and Mao Saigo (73) finished in a tie for fourth at 4 under. Hailee Cooper (70) and Hinako Shibuno (74) finished tied for seventh at 3 under.
Stark`s playing partner, Julia Lopez Ramirez, who was just one shot off the lead entering the final day, fell out of contention early, finishing with a 79, which included a triple bogey on the 18th hole, leaving her tied for 19th.
This tournament marked Korda`s closest attempt yet at winning the U.S. Women`s Open.
Korda shared her “complicated relationship” with the event this week, noting her best previous result was a tie for eighth in 2022. She missed the cut in last year`s tournament after an opening round of 80.
Korda reflected, “I played this event when I was 14 years old, so maybe a little bit more emotional about it… It`s definitely 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.”
She added, “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.”
Korda made birdies on the 7th and 8th holes but missed a 9-foot birdie putt on the 9th that would have tied her for the lead. This came shortly after Stark`s streak of 21 bogey-free holes concluded on the 7th.
Stark then extended her lead to three strokes by sinking a 14-foot birdie putt on the 11th, immediately following Korda`s missed par putt from just under 5 feet on the 13th.
Korda, Shibuno, and Takeda managed to get within two strokes of Stark with birdies on the par-5 14th. However, Korda missed a 14-foot eagle opportunity, and Shibuno also missed an eagle putt from 9½ feet.
Stark responded with a birdie of her own on the 14th hole, restoring her three-stroke advantage at 9 under par. She held onto this lead despite bogeying the final two holes.
Stark mentioned avoiding the leaderboards until the 17th hole. “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.”
Stark credited her caddie, Jeff Brighton, a former standup comedian, for helping her stay relaxed with jokes and preventing her from focusing too much on the immense pressure.
She added, “We just kind of tried to talk about some stuff and not be too into my own putt.”
Brighton commented on her intensity, 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 notably wore a cheesehead hat during the final round.
Stark`s composure enabled her to secure the significant $2.4 million prize, the largest payout in women`s golf this year. She joked about how she might spend her winnings.
She quipped, “Maybe move out of my studio apartment.”