Maja Stark’s victory at the 2025 US Women’s Open was a remarkable performance for the then 25-year-old Swede. Already an LPGA, Solheim Cup and Olympian winner, the victory at Erin Hills marked another impressive achievement on her resume.
But the victory came at an unforeseen cost.
“When I won, I kept thinking, Well, I just did the biggest thing I’ll probably ever do in my career,” Stark says. “For weeks, maybe months, I couldn’t stop thinking about that week. And that made me lose some motivation. I didn’t really know what to pursue next.”
For the remainder of the season, Stark worked with her team rediscover that motivation – and recaptured the form that catapulted him to the title at Erin Hills.
Now in 2026, Stark continues to strive to improve every day. Here’s how she and her coach, GOLF Top 100 Teachers Joe Hallett, work on every aspect of her game to achieve victory.
1. How to make more shots
Joe: Maya has an excellent pre-shot routine on the green. She will hold the ball in her right hand and imagine herself rolling it into the hole. It’s a great way to get a feel for distance as well as see how the ball will react once it starts rolling towards the hole. It’s one thing to see the line – to feel it is what really pays off.
House: I do this either standing up or in a crouched position. What I think works best is if you do it in slow motion – perfect for setting the tempo for the next shot. During rounds, I just visualize this motion, but on the practice green, I do it: roll a ball into the hole with my dominant hand and then putt from the same spot. Your pace can’t help but improve.
2. How to save money every time
Joe: You will not hit every green. This is where your short game can save you. Copy Maya. She uses a unique setup in beautiful shots. She places her feet close together and drops her leg back, creating what you would call a “closed” stance. Very few golfers do this, and even fewer professionals, but it automatically sets him up to deliver the club on the right path.
House: I use this setup because I feel it stabilizes my lower body and almost ensures that I move the club in line or even slightly in-to-out relative to my body (not the target line). What you get is a really good contact! If you really want to get the feel, stand up like I did but with your foot resting on your toe and hit a few shots. Then, go flat-footed. You won’t believe the results.
3. How to make more birds
Joe: Like any professional, Maja works on technique in practice, aiming to improve her swing. But she ends each practice session trying to narrow those countless swing thoughts into a single feeling or word. Otherwise, paralysis by analysis.
House: Keep any technical thoughts in your practice, but finish them with feeling. And never approach any round without a plan for how you can best attack each hole. There will be many objectives; check the yard book and look for a few that you feel comfortable with and think of ways to get home with two different swings: a full swing and a partial swing. If you’re successful at both, well, you’re going to have a great day!
4. How to hit more greens
Diana King
Joe: One area where Maja has made tremendous gains is her iron return sequence. She made the mistake of “whacking” the club too far inside in her swing (1), which caused it to be a little “stuck” as she returned to the swing (2). Now, she works on moving the club straight back first and then closing (3). It starts a chain reaction that helps him deliver the ball perfectly and is primed for pure compression of the ball (4).
House: Hopefully you can see the difference in my old and new preparations, and how much more powerful and on-plane I am as I approach impact. The key is to try to keep the clubhead out of my hands as I finish. The hidden benefit is that, with my better delivery position, I have to do less work with my hands through the ball. Things are much more stable now. The result: less spin and more approach shots that land where I want them to.
5. How to run it further
Joe: Maja is a powerful player off the tee. Working with the pros at PING, she’s been able to optimize her launch angle – a testament to the importance of fitting for your equipment. While Maja sits comfortably in the top 50 in driving distance since joining the LPGA, she’s never cracked that top 10. That’s not to say she lacks an extra gear when she really needs to let one fly. The peak derives its power from a large collision and violent dissolution. When everything works, her swing speed is off the charts.
House: This is complex and contrary to what every golfer has been taught: The backswing creates speed, not swinging for fences on the way down. I focus on “extending” my driver swing as I swing back. Wider is better. A great way to get the right feel is to place a putter on your target line directly behind the ball. As you start back, try to keep the driver’s head as close to the club as possible, as if you are “painting the ground” as you start again. Instant width – and speed.
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