Maja Stark Triumphs at US Women’s Open
September 24, 2025
Maja Stark Triumphs at US Women’s Open
The best women golfers in the world took center stage this weekend at Erin Hills for the US Women’s Open. Rolling hills, over 130 bunkers, and thick fescue presented distinct challenges for the competitors. Similar to other US Opens, limiting mistakes was as important as converting birdie chances, and Maja Stark from Sweden did both brilliantly.
Reminiscent of another Swedish legend in Annika Sorenstam, Stark remained steady all week. She made no worse than a bogey throughout the 72 holes and never carded a round worse than even par for the week. Stark entered the final round holding a one-shot lead, trailed closely by several chasers – among them, world No. 1 Nelly Korda. Nonetheless, Stark maintained control the whole day.
Just as Korda began to make her charge on Sunday’s back nine, Stark righted the ship. A bogey by Korda on No. 13 was quickly followed by a birdie on No. 14 by Stark, inflating the lead to three that proved to be enough.
It’s the first major championship win for Stark, who became the first European to win the US Women’s Open since Sorenstam in 2006.
Winner's Bag - Maja Stark
Driver: PING G430 Max 10K (9 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 5 S (45.5 inches, tipped .5)
Stark games the PING G430 Max 10K Driver, opting for the most forgiving driver within the PING family. She was plenty accurate during the U.S. Open, hitting 42 of 55 fairways, and also plenty long, averaging 262.9 off the tee, which was 16th best in the field. That combination allowed Stark to gain 0.61 strokes on the field off the tee, which was 20th best among all players.
3-wood: PING G430 Max (15 degrees @ 15.5)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-XC 6 S
Moving to the fairway wood section of her bag, when Maja plays just a single PING G430 Max 3-wood at 15.5 degrees. Much like her driver, Stark opts for the maximum forgiveness with her fairway wood, though notably doesn't go with a current generation G440, but rather that prior generation G430. This club provided her another option off the tee when she needed to hit a specific distance or shot shape, but also an option to attack long par 5's in 2 with.
Hybrid: PING G430 (22 degrees @21)
Shaft: Ping Tour Chrome 2.0 85 Stiff
In between her Fairway Wood and Irons, Stark fills that gap with a PING G430 Hybrid. Playing it at 21 degrees, this hybrid gives Stark plenty of versatility within the long game section of her bag. For longer par 3's and even some longer approaches, the forgiveness, and ease of launch of the G430 hybrid provides a great option for Stark and contributed to her sensational approach play during her U.S. Open win.
Irons: PING Blueprint S (4-PW)
Shafts: Ping AWT Stiff
Stark's Irons were one of the stars of her win at Erin Hills. The U.S. Open is always the toughest test in golf, and typically requires precision in all areas of your game, but especially in your approach. That's where Stark really separated herself from the pack. She hit 54 of the 72 greens in regulation, which was 11 percent better than the field average. She also gained 1.89 strokes on her approach, which ranked 3rd among all players.
Wedges: PING S159 (50-S, 540S), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-04L)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 105 Wedge
For her wedges, Stark combos a pair of PING s159 wedges with a Vokey WedgeWorks lob wedge. She goes with the S grind for both her Gap and Sand Wedges, which gives her a couple great options for full shots and greenside versatility. Her Vokey L Grind gives her a low bounce option, who's leading edge sits close to the ground and works well for tight or firm lies. Her wedges were big contributors in her approach game, and were quite strong around the greens too, as she ranked 28th among all players in Strokes Gained Short Game.
Putter: PING Anser 2
Along with her irons, Stark's Anser 2 Putter was one of the biggest contributors to her victory at Erin Hills. She averaged 1.76 putts per hole for the tourament, which was 5th best among all players, and gained 1.6 strokes on the putting surface, which also ranked 5th best.