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Maja Stark wins the opening of American women in Erin Hills.
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Hello friends, and Happy Sunday from US Women OpenWhere I was marked “safe” from Julia Lopez Ramirez’s approach to the 72nd hole.
I write to you all as I like a slice of pizza at the media center here in Erin Hills At the end of a great golf week on a beautiful golf course. I usually leave most of the US (see: Lancaster, Newport and Pinehurst in 2024) and I think I would like to really live in that area, and I mean when I am a massive fan of Erin Hills and the surrounding neighborhoods. I have also become a fan of cheese and local ice cream curds this week as well.
But enough for me. Let’s go through all the extraordinary action and performance by the champion, Maja Stark!
Awaiting the champion
One of my favorite moments of big championships (and all golf tournaments) is when the players stay to see a competitor and the sink of the winning putt. Hugging Shane Lowry and Rory Mcilroy After the 72nd hole in the masters was my favorite moment of the week, and I felt the same excitement seeing Grant Linn And Ingrid Lindblad eagerly waiting to embrace their friend in green.
Stark’s family observed open women of American women from home to Sweden, so I can only imagine how much it meant that she had some Paul there to see she win. They shower Stark with champagne and water moments after she drained the winning putt.
Winning interviews
Every time so often, players really good will either do or say something that is extremely relevant, and this is exactly what Maja Stark did in her winning interview with Cara Banks on Sunday evening. When asked what was the biggest test in Erin Hills this week, here’s what Stark had to say:
“I think it’s probably the greens because the USA just likes to make it difficult for us and likes to put the pins in the small ridges, and they look scary. You will see that it is in the grain to the hole, and then with the wheat after the hole, so you know, just seeing that the whole week, I’m so tired from them. “
Ok, safe. So she definitely deals with large championship greens better than others she can, but who of us is not tired after a long, hard day (or weeks) outside on the course?
Stark also admitted that she fought with confidence coming this week:
“I mean, it feels so surreal. It felt as if it were so far just a few weeks ago, and just last week, my faith was so low and only last week I had a friend to tell me, you have to be safe and you have to trust myself. That’s what I tried to do, do myself and everyone in my proud team.”
Stark doubled for this during her winning press conference as well:
“Before this week, I was worried that I would not really play good golf for a while because it felt like it was so far. So this just feels great. “
So while you are probably not too close to win a big championship, this is a good reminder that you are probably closer than you think of the high goal of your golf, whether it is breaking 100 or 80 or maybe just three strokes much less.
Caddy winning
Jeff Brighton has only been in the Maya Stark bag for a few weeks, but he is not a stranger to be in the bag. He used to make caddy for Colin Montgomerie and Bron Law, and he looked straight at home as he threw with Mike Whan cheese (it’s a Wisconsin thing) and accepted the winning award of Caddy.
It turns out that Brighton is a comedian as well as a professional, and Stark said he kept him free there, keeping him focused on his joke instead of how she is feeling on the course. Sounds like they make a great team!
Celebration plans
I am always curious to learn how the main winners celebrate their victories. On the one hand, they must be exhausted. On the other hand, their wildest dreams just came true, so how can you NO At least celebrate a little?
When asked what the winning celebrations might look like, Stark’s Caddy, Jeff Brighton, said there would be “massacre” and then didn’t elaborate. Quite right! Stark Ingrid Lindblad’s friend said she hopes to buy a first class ticket house. And when Stark was asked what she will do with her $ 2.4 million winner, she said, “Maybe moving from my studio apartment can be one thing. I don’t know. I’m very happy with what I have in my life now. I think just having security for the future, I think I will just be very happy about it.”
