Sweden's Maja Stark grabs one-shot lead at US Women's Open
MAJA STARK FIRED three birdies in an impressively steady two-under-par 70 at unforgiving Erin Hills on Saturday to seize a one stroke lead over Julia Lopez Ramirez heading into the final round of the 80th US Women's Open.
Sweden's Stark, a European Solheim Cup stalwart chasing her first major title, kept her focus in a round that stretched nearly six hours as players wrestled with firm, fast greens on a breezy, sunny day in Wisconsin.
Her seven-under-par total put her one stroke clear of Spanish qualifier Lopez Ramirez, whose four-under-par 68 was the best score of a day on which only nine players broke par.
Japan's Mai Saigo, who started the day with a three-shot lead, carded a three-over-par 75 to share third alongside compatriots Rio Takeda and Hinako Shibuno on five-under.
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World number one Nelly Korda, who played alongside Saigo in the final group, finished strong in a one-over 73 that left her three adrift on four-under.
Stark opened with a confidence-boosting birdie at the first hole. She bogeyed the third, but stuck her second shot at the 10th two feet from the pin for a birdie.
Stark rattled in a 21-foot birdie at the par-three 16th to seize a share of the lead on seven-under, capping her round with a par at the par-five 18th and emerging with the solo lead as Saigo closed with back-to-back bogeys.
The tough scoring made Lopez Ramirez's round look all the more impressive. The 22-year-old, who had to pause her LPGA rookie campaign in March after undergoing an appendectomy, eagled the par-five first and bounced back from a bogey at the third with a birdie at the seventh, where she got up and down from a greenside bunker.
She added birdies at 12 and 16 to put herself in contention for a first major title.
Saigo, gunning for a second major title of the season after winning the Chevron Championship in April, was battling even before her bogey-bogey finish.
She had two birdies and a bogey in her first three holes then bogeyed the fourth, fifth and sixth — failing to get up and down after missing the geen at all three. The 23-year-old had regained the solo lead with an eight-foot birdie at the 12th but couldn't hang on.
Korda appeared to be spiraling out of contention with four bogeys on the front nine. That included three-putts at the second and fifth and a five-foot miss at the seventh.
But the American star clawed back with birdies at the 14th and 15th — where she took advantage of the US Golf Association's decision to move up the tee to drive the green and calmly rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt.
Her six-foot birdie putt at the 18th circled the cup before falling in, leaving her exactly where she started the day three shots off the lead.
– © AFP 2025
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