Maja Stark had her fair share of doubts regarding her prospects at the US Women’s Open with the likes of  Nelly Korda in the field. “There are so many good golfers on this tour… I don’t think I would be able to do it this week.” But guess what? She did. Maja Stark won the US Women’s Open 2025—her first major championship. “It felt like I could just control anything that was thrown at me today,” she said, and that calm, focused mindset carried her through. She didn’t let the pressure of a stacked field, including favorite Korda, throw her off. However, the pressure was real, and Stark admitted there were a few moments where nerves kicked in and she kind of lost track of what she was doing. Well, this is not surprising; Korda has this effect on other players. But does Stark’s victory only hold weight because she beat Korda?

When asked at the ShopRite LPGA Classic if beating Korda on Sunday makes the win more meaningful to her, or is it something only the media cares about? She replied, “I think that’s probably more media, you know. I think to us players she’s obviously an amazing player but she is just another player, so you don’t really think about that.” Stark herself has played in majors and LPGA events alongside top-ranked players regularly, so there is a sense of familiarity with top-ranked players. She added, “If it was Nelly or if it was Julia or Rio who is chasing, you know, you just know a person — everyone is going to be chasing and that’s just how it’s going to be.” Alongside Korda, both Shibuno and Takeda had come within two strokes of the Swede thanks to birdies on the par-5 14th. But Stark stayed focused, not even caring to know where she stood for a while. “Obviously I didn’t look at the leaderboards until 17,” she revealed. But with all that said and done, Stark is not ignoring the fact that Korda is ranked number 1 and is one hell of a player of this era.

“Nelly knows how to do this. She’s won major championships before. She has more routine than I do. Obviously I felt like she’s not going to crumble. I have to play really well to win this,” shared Stark. But what about Korda? What were her thoughts on why the championship slipped through her fingers?

“Um, honestly, everything mental heading the shots. I mean, the golf course has progressively gone tougher and tougher, firmer and firmer,” Korda told ally. She has often mentioned that her relationship with the U.S. Women’s Open is complicated, and on top of that, tough courses like Erin Hills are known for testing and changing players’ games. She added, “Obviously just slipping just short hurts a little, but I am happy with the progress and hopefully I can continue on like this.” Despite the loss, Korda’s second-place finish this year marked her best showing at the event and a significant improvement over last year when she could not make a cut after an 80-stroke opening round.

Meanwhile, Stark made national history as she carried home the $2.4 million prize money, becoming only the third Swede to win the US Open since Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann, both of whom, she said, texted her and expressed the same sentiment—“Bring it home”. However, when she was asked about which golf role models have inspired her the most, her answer included neither Sorenstam nor Neumann.

The “generic” yet potent inspiration behind Maja Stark’s golfing success

“I think Tiger. Generic answer, but, you know, no one has done with Tiger has done and just the way that he was able to run away with tournaments sometimes and he didn’t play scared; he played smart… that’s the way I want to play,” said Maja Stark when she was asked about her golfing inspiration. As for why she didn’t choose Annika Sorenstam, she explained that she was done playing well before her time, and that she was not really familiar with her game. 

“I want to play and have fun. Seemed like the easiest way to play sometimes for him would be to just chip it out into the fairway,” she continued about Woods, adding how she, too, was smitten by the scintillating shots that 15-time major winner hit. Funny how back in 2022, when she won the ISPS Handa Invitational to earn herself a place on the PGA Tour, the winning mantra that she had received from her coach was “don’t try to be Tiger Woods, just try to be you.”

Well, she was herself this time around, and she has made clear is that she’s no longer an underdog—her name belongs alongside the biggest players. Now, all eyes turn to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where Nelly took the title in 2021. The question is: can Stark take it from her?