Hartford, Wisconsin – Sweden’s Maja Stark held a slim 54-hole one-stroke lead at the 80th U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills entering Sunday’s final round over Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez. Stark vowed to play boldly, not playing to protect the slim lead. The mindset paid off, Stark played fearlessly, executing shot after shot better than anyone in the field in capturing her first major championship. The challengers stumbled down the stretch, including world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who finished runner-up at 5 under par – two shots back (tied with Rio Takeda from Japan). The 25-year-old Stark finished with a final round 72 for a 7-under-par total of 281.
The former OSU standout was in control throughout, a performance reminiscent of Annika. She is only the third Swede to claim the Harton S. Semple Trophy, joining Liselotte Neumann (1988) and Sorenstam (1995-96 and 2006). Stark’s stock has been on the rise, finishing second at the 2024 Chevron Championship and tied for ninth at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, in Monterey, California.
“This means so much,” said Stark. “Before this week, I was worried that I wasn’t really going to play decent golf for a while because it felt like it was so far away. So this just feels huge.”
Nelly Korda came close again at the Women’s biggest event, her runner-up finish was her best showing in eleven appearances in the U.S. Women’s Open. “Last year definitely put a dagger into my heart,” Korda said about missing the cut at Lancaster Country Club. “But that’s just golf. I mean, 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. Maybe just a little bit of disappointment. But it’s also super motivating.”
Stark received messages from Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann (1988 Champion). “They texted me yesterday,” said Stark she won on Sunday. “They said, ‘bring it home.’ That was already cool to just get those texts.”
Now she has a trophy to go with those messages.
*Amateur sensation, Lottie Woad, of England was the low amateur with a score of 293.
