Maja Stark won the Women’s U.S. Open for the first time on Sunday as she beat Nelly Korda to the championship by two strokes, but the World No. 1 was gracious in defeat.
Korda is still yet to win the U.S. Open and continues to have a “complicated relationship” with majors, but did achieve her greatest finish yet after sharing second place with Rio Takeda. There have been some major struggles at Erin Hills this week with course congestion after the eighth hole and a disastrous moment for Esther Henseleit, but Stark remained calm during the final round.
When asked what her defeat came down to on the final day, Korda told NBC Sports: “Honestly? Everything. Mental, hitting the shots. I mean, the golf course has progressively gotten tougher and tougher, firmer and firmer.
“I hit it really good on 18, but I just hit it a little too far left of my target. Drew it too much. No complaints. Hopefully I can kind of build on this. Putting myself in contention at a major, obviously slipping just short, hurts a little, but I’m happy with the progress, and hopefully I can continue on like this.”
