Stark wins US Women's Open to claim first major
Maja Stark captured her first major title in impressive style Sunday, carding an even-par 72 to win the 80th US Women's Open by two strokes over top-ranked Nelly Korda and Rio Takeda.
Sweden's Stark put on a clinical display on the imposing Erin Hills course in Wisconsin, where back-to-back bogeys to finish her round proved inconsequential as her seven-under total of 281 gave her the victory with room to spare.
She became the third player from Sweden to lift the trophy and the first since Annika Sorenstam won her third in 2006.
"This just feels huge," said Stark, who admitted her best golf "felt like it was so far away" coming into the week.
"You always kind of know that it's possible, but there are so many good golfers on this tour ... I (didn't) think I would be able to do it this week."
Leading by one to start the day, Stark opened with five straight pars, benefitting from a lucky break at the fifth when her tee shot scooted through the left rough and settled in the fairway.
She then pushed her lead to two strokes with her first birdie of the day at the par-three sixth, where she rolled in a 21-foot putt.
She gave a stroke back at the seventh, where her tee shot found a fairway bunker, and was clinging to a one-stroke lead when she arrived at the 11th.
That changed in moments, however, Stark rattling in a 14-foot birdie putt at 11 shortly after Korda's three-putt bogey at the 13th dropped the American star to five-under, the sequence of events leaving Stark with a three-stroke cushion.
Korda, who started the day three shots adrift, applied pressure with back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth.