By: Max Bechtoldt
Coming into the season, it seemed that Maja Stark would be one of the strongest candidates for a true star-making breakout. She’s one six times on the Ladies European Tour and once on the LPGA. It took five tournaments though for a strong result.
Now, Stark is on fire and has done everything except win.
In Arizona at the Ford Championship, Stark finished in a tie for third, three back of Nelly Korda. At the Chevron Championship, she posted her highest finish in a major, a solo second, two back from Korda. Now in Los Angeles at Wilshire she finished in second behind Hannah Green.
Stark has moved up to No. 16 in the Rolex Rankings, her highest-career ranking. She’s second on the official money list this season and is ranked No. 22 in the Olympic Standings, representing Sweden. She’s No. 4 in the CmE Standings and has been racing up all of these lists.
Stark is learning from some of her past mistakes and getting stronger through them.
“Stay patient. There is so much you can mess up. If you move forward from that — I think I’ve struggled before and just been so hung up on, oh, I made a double; now my chances are gone,” said Stark. “That’s really not the case. I’ve just been learning through experience, too, that I can turn it around pretty quick.”
Curiously, nothing stands out statistically for Stark in 2024. She is No. 51 in strokes gained total according to the KPMG Performance Insights. Her best category unsurprisingly is driving, where she ranks No. 20 in strokes gained off the tee. More than anything, Stark is timely with her strong play, hitting great shots when its the most important.
Get used to seeing Stark, as she will be on the European Solheim Cup team, in the Olympics representing Sweden and should be in contention consistently throughout the season.
