Recapping and recovering from the 80th U.S. Women’s Open
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, June 5, 2025
Let’s recap and recover from last week. Erin Hills didn’t disappoint as the venue of the 80th U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally. Now, we all can take some deep breaths.
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Welcome back to Golf Thursday, friends!
U.S. Women’s Open week was a doozy, but there are so many takeaways to glean from the wind-powered, cheese-filled adventure. From our second first-time major championship winner this season to things maybe looking up for Nelly Korda, there was a lot of good to come out of this week. On the other hand, for Ally partner Lilia Vu and Mizuho Americas winner Jeeno Thitikul, the week could be thrown out with Monday morning’s trash as they prep for the next contest.
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Maja Stark is your 2025 U.S. Women’s Open champion
Maja Stark conquered the so-called “grinder’s paradise” for her first major championship and second ever win on the LPGA Tour. And at what better tournament to get it done? The U.S. Women’s Open produces prodigies, legends and greats of the game, and Stark was just welcomed into those groups.
The Swede shot a four-day total of 7-under-par (281) to win her share—$2.4 million—of the $12 million prize purse. She’s the third U.S. Women’s Open winner from Sweden, joining the company of Liselotte Neumann and G.O.A.T. Annika Sorenstam. She’s also the first Swede to win it since Sorenstam in 2006.
“It’s so cool. They texted me yesterday and just kind of said, bring it home. That was already cool to just get those texts,” Stark said of joining the list of Swedish major champions. “Just looking at all the names on the trophy. I love the U.S. Opens. I’m so happy that it’s mine now.”
If Stark was one thing all week, it was steady. She was the only player in the field to avoid posting a round over par. After three rounds under par at 70, 69 and 70, she sat atop the leaderboard at 7-under going into the final round. Her even-par 72 was solid enough to win the Harton S. Semple trophy.
Considering that the scoring average for the championship was at least a stroke and a half over par, getting through this week without an over-par round is pretty impressive. I also think Stark’s easy-going mindset and constant smile kept her moving along to victory. Any time you’re up against a beast of a course with severe elevation changes, testing greens and inconsistent wind, something’s gotta give.
But it wasn’t Stark’s game that was sacrificed nor was it her mindset. She kept the same level head and attitude that she normally displays through her four rounds. Stark didn’t let slow play affect her, and she didn’t rush herself either. Steady as she goes, on to her first U.S. Women’s Open and first major trophy.
I’m obsessed with the celebration that commenced as soon as Stark concluded her round and commended her opponents. Fellow compatriots Linn Grant and Ingrid Lindblad stormed the green and sprayed Stark with champagne and water, jumping up and down in complete joy for their friend.
Grant embraced Stark multiple times, as if she couldn’t believe that she’d just won. Lindblad hugged Stark and then congratulated Stark’s caddie, Jeff Brighton. The two Swedes, especially Grant, looked so extremely proud of their friend, and it was a beautiful thing to witness.
I love girlhood.
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Nelly Korda’s best finish
While Maja Stark and her Swedes were busy celebrating, I’m sure Nelly Korda had a lot going on in her head.
Korda definitely picked her game up quite a bit this week and even for this specific tournament. Her tie for second place was the best finish she has had in a U.S. Women’s Open. After a solid 2-under-par 34 on the front nine at Erin Hills, Korda had work to do coming down the stretch. She sat at 6-under, two strokes behind the leader Stark.
But on the back nine, it may have been the pressure to close out this tournament that decided Nelly’s fate. A few birdies countered some bogeys on the back, but ultimately, a bogey on the par-5 18th hole dropped Korda back down to 5-under and a tie for second with Japan’s Rio Takeda.
“[There’s] not much to say other than it does sting to come up short, but at the end of the day, the work that I’ve been putting in, especially throughout the start of the season, to test it on conditions like the U.S. Women’s Open where you’re tested mentally, you’re testing your game in every department, and to play pretty solid golf shows that I’ve been working hard,” Korda said in Sunday’s post-round press conference. “I’ll continue doing that and hopefully trend in the correct direction.”
Nelly’s right; it does seem that things are trending in the correct direction. With her best finish at the U.S. Women’s Open, a tournament that she definitely has a love-hate relationship with, and her second T2 performance or better this season, her game is on the up and up. We’ll see how next week goes for her at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
And we’re on to New Jersey! I’ll see you right back here next week for that recap.
This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
Brittany Lang named assistant captain for 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup team
How to watch the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
Five things to know about the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
Nelly Korda hits 100 career weeks as Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1
Sage named official finance software partner of the LPGA
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda finishes tied for second in 11th U.S. Women’s Open
Steady Maja Stark cruises to U.S. Women’s Open title and becomes first-time major winner
On this date: Pat Bradley completes the Career Grand Slam
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LET News
Tamburlini and Rhodes excited to resume rivalry in Tenerife
Kouskova hopeful of inspiring Czech golfers after “special” maiden win
5 talking points ahead of the Tenerife Women’s Open
Watch live: Tenerife Women’s Open
Rhodes secures second LET Player of the Month title
The best golfers in Europe meet at the Tenerife Women’s Open
LET returns to Tenerife for first time in over a decade
Tamburlini starts strong at U.S. Women’s Open
Nominees for May 2025 Player of the Month announced
Epson Tour News
Three things to know about the 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Field breakdown: 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
2025 U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally: Epson Tour athlete results
Epson Tour sophomores Cooper, Avery making names known on day one of U.S. Women’s Open
After wild qualifier experience, Auston Kim earns berth in her fourth U.S. Women’s Open
Amateur/NCAA News
Here’s who earned points in the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway at the U.S. Women’s Open
Woad watch: Lottie Woad secures 17th LEAP point with made cut at U.S. Women’s Open
Five at The IX: Maja Stark conquers Erin Hills for first major championship title at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open
THE MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming the champion of the 80th U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally, Maja Stark. Maja, you’ve become the 56th woman to ever hoist that trophy. What does it mean to you?
MAJA STARK: So much. 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.
I’m so happy that I had my coach here this week. And I texted him a couple things. I said, what do I do if my putting feels like this? He just nailed the advice this week. So it was great.
Q. Maja, what did it feel like playing with the 54-hole lead and you had people like Nelly Korda and other major champions lurking?
MAJA STARK: I just didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I thought there’s still a lot of golf left to be played. I just felt like people are going to pass me probably, and I just had to stay calm through that.
I didn’t look at the leaderboards until I was on like 17. I caught a glimpse of it. It was nice. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought that I would be because it felt like I have somewhat control of my game, and I kind of know what’s going on.
Then obviously with the pressure and everything, your mistakes get bigger, but it felt like I could just like control anything that was thrown at me really today.
Q. You talked about your confidence was low going in. How did you kind of get your confidence back, and at what point in this tournament did it kind of sink in that you had a realistic chance of maybe winning it?
MAJA STARK: I don’t really think I ever felt that my confidence was great. I think that I just stopped trying to control everything, and I just kind of let everything happened the way it happened.
During the practice days, I realized that, if I just kind of hovered the club above the ground a little bit before I hit, I released some tension in my body. I think that just doing my processes well and knowing, giving myself little things like that was the key this week because I don’t really think that — I don’t really want to rely on my confidence for stuff.
Q. For people who might only watch the women’s majors, how does a setup like this vary from what you guys see week to week? What are the specific challenges this week versus what you guys normally see?
MAJA STARK: I feel like the 18th hole describes it perfectly. Especially where the pin was today, on my approach shot, I was aiming 18 meters right of the pin, and on my putt I was aiming 15 meters right of the pin. You never get that on other courses, maybe British Opens and that, but that doesn’t happen on our normal weeks.
They speed up the greens. I don’t know what the Stimp was today, maybe 13. Yeah, that’s fast. I don’t think we usually have it like that, that I know anyway. It felt fast.
Yeah, you need to kind of think about every shot here. Maybe not the tee shot on 10. I think that’s fine. But everything else, you’ve just got to have your brain working for you, whereas like on normal weeks, you can kind of bail out. Here, not really.
Q. What will you do with a $2.4 million winner’s check, and how will you celebrate?
MAJA STARK: I didn’t even know that.
(Laughter).
Maybe move out of my studio apartment can be one thing. I don’t know. I’m very happy with what I have in my life right now. I think just having the security for the future, I think I’ll just be very happy about that.
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