Maja Stark has been emerging as a known entity on the tour. The Swede grabbed global attention in June when she stared down Nelly Korda at Erin Hills to win the US Women’s Open. Three weeks later, she was back in the headlines, but for an aggressive meltdown on the course. With such a polarizing demeanor, she makes for a fascinating figure on the LPGA circuit. Even now, she’s drawing notice due to her new caddie arrangement.

At a recent episode of The Mixed Bag Podcast, host Meg Adkins and Matthew Galloway discussed Stark’s latest bag shake-up. “John Pond is on Maja Stark’s bag. So, Maja parted ways with Jeff, who was on the bag for the U.S. Open win, had somebody else on for a few tournaments. I believe this was the first week John’s been on Maja’s bag. John Pond, Lauren Coghlan… the three of them are very close. Lauren and Maja are good friends,” Adkins revealed. 

As much as the change might be necessary, the entire equation is a little out of the ordinary. Jeff Pond is married to Lauren Coughlin, who, in return, is a close friend of Stark. Their friendship has been one of the LPGA’s feel-good stories, with them facing each other as rivals on the Solheim Cup, then spending time together off the course. In fact, this summer, during an off week, Coughlin even stayed with Stark’s family in Abbekas, Sweden.

Now, with Coughlin’s husband on Stark’s bag, it might seem that the personal and professional lines are blurred. But Maja Stark has reasons. “I like Maja kind of saying “it’s nice having somebody I know and I’m close with.” I mean, they can just kind of say what they want to each other, but Maja was like, yeah, I can tell him, you know, stop talking to me. I don’t want to talk right now. And, you know, maybe that’s what Maja needs,” explained Adkins.

What Meg here means is that Maja Stark had a pretty good season till a few months ago. At the US Women’s Open, Stark took down Nelly Korda and emerged victorious. She started the final round two shots behind Korda and shot a 3-under 69. She finished at -5 and edged Korda by one. But the turning point came at the par-4 16th hole, where a precise approach left her inside eight feet for a birdie. In the end, when Korda missed a 12-foot birdie and three-putted for bogey, Stark got the title.

All this while, Jeff Brighton was behind Stark, supporting her with her bags. A former stand-up comedian, he had his humorous ways of helping the Swede stay loose during tense moments. “I would say Maja’s quite an intense player. She tries really hard and is really competitive, so when someone’s that intense, you’re trying between shots to just get their head away from golf. We just kind of tried to talk about random stuff and not be too into her own putt.” Stark herself admitted that letting go was the secret. “I think that I just stopped trying to control everything, and I just kind of let everything happen the way it happened,” she said, crediting Brighton for keeping her from dwelling on the stakes.

But apparently, this did not work for quite long; after this major, Stark’s performance sank. And then came the incident which took away the calm exterior Maja Stark had so long upheld. Three weeks after the US Open at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, after missing a 13-foot birdie, Stark hurled her putter at her bag with such force that the head snapped clean off. Without missing a beat, she casually tossed the broken club toward Brighton before striding to the next tee. The video went quite viral on the internet.

So maybe that’s why Maja Stark needed a new voice. Since the US Open, she missed the cut five times out of the seven tournaments that have taken place. Her recent good performance was at the Kroger Queen’s Championship, where she finished off at T5, and interestingly, it happened with James Pond on her side. So maybe it is working. All in all, Maja’s short temper has already done its damage. “I’d be scared of working for Maja …She seems like she runs a little bit hot,” says Galloway.

However, with her upcoming participations, she can really compose herself fain.

Maja Stark has a chance to redeem herself

What comes next for Maja Stark and James Pond is still to be seen, but their partnership will likely get the test in several competitions scheduled, including the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship starting from 19-21 September. With Pond stepping onto the bag, it will be a quick turnaround for Stark to continue the rhythm she’s found at Kroger Queen.

Looking further down the LPGA calendar, Stark is eligible for a heavy stretch of international events through October and November, from Hawaii to Asia and back to Florida for the season finale at the CME Group Tour Championship. For a player as volatile as Stark, the coming weeks may tell us whether Pond is the steadying presence she’s been searching for since her U.S. Open win.

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