ERIN, Wis. – Maja Stark anticipated early on Saturday that Erin Hills would present a greater challenge compared to the first two days of the U.S. Women’s Open.
Despite this, she found a way to avoid the mistakes that affected numerous competitors during a demanding third round. Now, the 25-year-old Swedish golfer is in a position to aspire to the $2.4 million prize in the most prominent event of the women’s golf season.
Stark signed a card of 70 strokes, two under par, accumulating a total of 209 strokes, seven under par, which gives him a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round. Julia López Ramírez, from Spain, was in second place after a round of 68 strokes, the best of the day.The Japanese trio of Rio Takeda (70), Hinako Shibuno (72) and Mao Saigo (75), leader after the second round, followed in the standings with 5 under par. World number one, Nelly Korda, was at 4 under par after a round of 73 strokes.The fast greens and strategic placement of the holes wreaked havoc among most participants, resulting in numerous double bogeys and triple bogeys.I think I’ll just try to play freely. Nobody has played well when they’ve played with fear, and I think that’s been my habit before, just trying to hold on to it.
Maja Stark
An example of this was seen on the 15th hole, par 4, when Esther Henseleit’s eagle putt, from 55 feet away, rolled 90 feet past the hole, ending in the rough. Henseleit finished with a double bogey.
It’s very difficult because they usually put the holes right on the edges of the slopes, so you can see that you’re going with the slope and up to the hole, and then, after the hole, you see that the slope goes in the other direction. It’s very difficult to calculate the distances correctly. It’s really terrifying when you know that if you miss this putt by five feet, it’s over.
Maja Stark
The difficulties in the field allowed López Ramírez to surprisingly climb in the rankings, less than three months after an appendectomy.
López Ramírez had not managed to finish above 29th place in any of her seven LPGA Tour appearances this season, although the 22-year-old rookie was the SEC Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024 at Mississippi State.Saigo, who began the day with a three-stroke lead, suffered three consecutive bogeys on holes 4-6, relegating her to a tie for first place. She managed an 8.5-foot birdie on the 12th hole, regaining sole possession of the lead, but Stark matched her with a 21.5-foot birdie on the 16th hole, a par 3. Saigo subsequently recorded bogeys on the last two holes, finishing two strokes behind the leader.Saigo commented that the location of the holes caused him the biggest problems on Saturday.I think, obviously, when you’re in college and you’re about to win an event, you have the same nerves. It’s what matters most to you at that moment. You just want to win that tournament.
Julia López Ramírez
Other contenders also faced similar situations.
A Lim Kim, who started Saturday tied for second place, birdied the 1st hole, putting her at 6 under par, but then added 7 strokes over par in the next four holes. Kim recorded a bogey on the 2nd hole, a double bogey on the 3rd hole, a triple bogey on the 4th hole, and a bogey on the 5th hole. She finished with a score of 77 strokes.
Jinhee Im birdied two of her first three holes, reaching 6 under par, before suffering a triple bogey on the 4th hole, par 4. Noh also reached 6 under par before a double bogey on the 3rd hole. Im finished with 79 strokes, and Noh, with 75.
Korda had a 40-stroke round in the first nine holes, with four bogeys and no birdies, but recovered with three birdies in his last five holes.It’s a golf course where, if you don’t hit the ball in the right spot, it can roll 40 feet and, instead of having an easy approach, you have a 40-foot chip where the ball goes behind. You just know that your mindset is that you’re going to make mistakes, but you can also recover here.
Nelly Korda
