US Women’s Open: Maja Stark Takes One-Shot Lead into Final Round
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Maja Stark, a 25-year-old Swedish golfer, has taken a one-shot lead into the final round of the US Women’s Open, held at Erin Hills. Stark shot a 2-under 70 in the third round to give her a 7-under 209 total, just one stroke ahead of Julia López Ramirez of Spain, who carded the best score of the day with a 68.
According to The Guardian, Stark was able to navigate the challenging conditions at Erin Hills, which proved difficult for many of her competitors. The course’s speedier greens and tricker pin placements led to plenty of double bogeys and triple bogeys, but Stark managed to avoid the mistakes that befell many others. As she said, “I think I’m just going to try to play freely. I think that no one has ever played well when they’ve been playing scared, and I think that’s been my habit before, to just kind of try to hang on to it.”
The Japanese trio of Rio Takeda (70), Hinako Shibuno (72), and second-round leader Mao Saigo (75) followed at 5 under, while top-ranked Nelly Korda was 4 under after a 73. López Ramirez, who has had a tough season so far, made a surprising surge less than three months after an appendectomy. The 22-year-old rookie from Spain said, “I do believe that obviously when you’re in college and you’re about to win an event you have the same nerves. That’s the most you care in that moment. You just want to win that tournament.”
Stark’s round was steady, with no major mistakes, and she made some crucial birdies to stay in contention. She tied Saigo with a 21 1/2-foot birdie on the par-3 16th, and then saw Saigo bogey the last two holes to fall two strokes back. As The Guardian reported, Saigo said the pin placements caused her the biggest problems on Saturday, saying, “The first thing is I’d like to rest well and then tomorrow (come out) refreshed and I’d like to start from zero.”
Other contenders faced similar misfortune, including A Lim Kim, who birdied the first hole to get to 6 under, but then went 7 over for the next four holes, ending up with a 77. Jinhee Im and Noh also struggled, with Im triple-bogeying the par-4 fourth and Noh double-bogeying the third hole. Korda, who had a tough front nine, rallied with three birdies on her last five holes to stay in contention.
As the final round approaches, Stark will look to hold onto her lead and claim the $2.4m prize in the biggest event of the women’s golf season. With her confidence growing, Stark seems poised to make a strong challenge, as The Guardian noted. The final round promises to be an exciting conclusion to the US Women’s Open, with several golfers still in contention for the title.
The Guardian reported that Stark’s approach to the game has been impressive, with her ability to play freely and avoid mistakes. As she said, “It’s just so hard to get the distances right. It’s really scary when you know if you putt this five feet by, then that’s gone.” With her talent and determination, Stark is certainly one to watch in the final round.
Source: The Guardian
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