Tag: Maja Stark

Sarah Schmelzel, tied for lead at 2024 Ford Championship, seeks first LPGA win in home state

Live final round coverage will start on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET and Golf Channel will come on at 6 p.m. ET.

GILBERT, Ariz. — A variety of LPGA golfers with local ties have been making noise this week at the inaugural Ford Championship in this Phoenix suburb.

On a breezy Saturday, former Arizona State golfer Carlota Ciganda made her move up the leaderboard at Seville Golf and Country Club with a 6-under 66 a round that included two eagles and nearly a third, as her chip on the par-5 18th just missed.

“Very happy with the 6 under,” she said. “The wind is really strong. Lots of side winds, and it’s just, yeah, it’s just hard. I think if you can hit greens it’s good shots. There are some holes that are playing downhill and you can take advantage, as well as the par 5s.”

Sitting at 15 under, Ciganda already has a number in mind for Sunday, a day that is expected to be 20 degrees cooler than Saturday with a 60 percent chance of rain.

“I think you still need to get to probably 21-, 22-under to win,” she said. “Try to get to that number and hopefully that’s enough.”

Ciganda has two LPGA wins but none since 2016. Local product Sarah Schmelzel, meanwhile, is seeking her first LPGA win.

She opened with a 68, followed that up with 63 and is hanging around the top of the leaderboard after a Saturday 70. She had three back-nine birdies and just missed another on 18 that would’ve given her the solo 54-hole lead.

“Today was tough,” she told Golf Channel after her round. “It was almost like the weather was a like a bit of a distraction. It was tough out there. It was a grind to just shoot under par this afternoon.”

So far this season, Schmelzel has a T-8, a solo second and a T-8 in her last three starts. And as for making the Phoenix area this week the time and place for her first LPGA win?

“It’s definitely something I have thought about since I was a little kid,” she admitted. “It’s something that’s in the back of my mind, but I gotta stay in the present and if it works out, it works out.”

The third member of the three-way tie for the lead is Hyo Joo Kim, who birdied three of her first four holes but then stalled, stringing together 14 straight pars to shoot a 3-under 69. Kim has a major among her six wins. A win this week would give her a fourth straight season with a victory.

Two are tied for fourth, a shot back: Maja Stark, who had one of the day’s better rounds with a 6-under 66, and Yuka Saso, who overcame a four-putt double bogey on the 15th hole with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 to get to 14 under.

On a day when the winds gusted up to 35 miles per hour, Mi Hyang Lee produced the best round, an 8-under 64, which put her into a 10-way tie for sixth at 13 under, two shots back. That huge cluster of golfers at 13 under includes Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko.

Hira Naveed shot 7-under 65, the second-best score on Saturday. She’s tied for 16th at 12 under with Ayaka Furue and Lilia Vu.

Despite the heavy wind, only 11 of the 75 golfers who made the cut posted over-par scores, including Peiyun Chien, who shot 65 on Friday and 76 on Saturday.

There are 34 golfers at double-digits under par through 54 holes.

In anticipation of weather Sunday, the LPGA announced that for the final round, golfers will go off split tees in groups of three. The first group will start at 9:08 a.m. local time (12:08 p.m. ET) and leaders will tee off at 11:20 a.m. local time (2:20 p.m. ET).

Live final round coverage will start on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET and Golf Channel will come on at 6 p.m. ET.

Maja Stark co-leads in Shanghai, says ‘pressure doesn’t exist’ now on LPGA compared to Solheim

Danielle Kang, winner of the event in 2018 and 2019, shot 4 under.

Maja Stark teed off for the first time since the Solheim Cup in Shanghai and couldn’t believe the difference in not only her confidence, but how it felt inside the ropes at a regular LPGA stop.

“When you’re out here, you are usually alone,” said Stark. “Maybe a few people rooting for you. Yeah, feels so nice being able to hit good shots with that pressure. Now pressure doesn’t exist anymore, feels like in normal tournaments.”

Stark opened with a 6-under 66 at the Buick LPGA Shanghai at Qizhong Garden Golf Club to take a share of the early lead with Wichanee Meechai of Thailand.

The LPGA returned to China this week for the first time since 2019 due to ongoing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Danielle Kang, winner of the event in 2018 and 2019, shot 4 under.

“My caddie, Brian, really helped me stay in the moment,” said Kang. “He’s like, it’s only Thursday. Stop looking at the leaderboard. We’re going to end up where you need to end up.”

Maja Stark and Linn Grant of Team Europe walk off the sixth green during Day Two of The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 23, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The 23-year-old Stark posted a 2-1-1 record in her Solheim Cup debut in Spain, where Europe retained the cup in dramatic fashion. Stark partnerd with close friend Linn Grant in foursomes and notched a crucial singles victory over U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz.

“Being able to hit those putts with so much pressure, it just makes you feel like this is the easiest thing ever,” said Stark of being back at a regular event. “Because we don’t have thousands of people watch and a whole continent rooting for you, which is also weird.”

Stark noted that the time away from competition gave her an opportunity to refocus and really process what she’d done throughout the year and at Solheim, where she felt like a much different player.

“I moved on from stuff more quickly,” she said. “I managed to figure stuff out during the round sometimes.

“It felt like every putt was so important, so I just tried to keep that going and keep that out here and just actually think about what it’s for and not just, oh, this is for birdie. No, this is actually – this could be the winning putt.”

How each American, European player fared at the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain

Three players went unbeaten over the three days but only one earned 4 points over the five sessions.

CASARES, Spain — The 2023 Solheim Cup couldn’t have been closer.

The 18th edition of the biennial bash between the United States and Europe was all square at 8-8 entering Sunday singles, and after the final 12 matches – five won by the both teams and two ties – the competition ended in a 14-14 tie, and the Europeans retained the Cup.

In the event’s 23-year history, the Americans have taken home the trophy on 10 occasions, with the Europeans earning the other eight. Team Europe hasn’t lost since 2017 in Iowa.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda was the only player to score four points this week (4-0-0) and was one of four players who went unbeaten, joining Gemma Dryburgh (0-0-2), Megan Khang (3-0-1) and Cheyenne Knight (2-0-1). Two players went winless for each team, but only one failed to earn a point.

Here’s a breakdown of how each player fared this week by event at the 2023 Solheim Cup.

MORE: Sunday singles results | Best shots | Crazy fans

European records

Player Overall (W-L-T) Singles (W-L-T) Foursomes (W-L-T) Fourball (W-L-T)
Celine Boutier 0-3-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 0-0-0
Charley Hull 1-2-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 1-0-0
Linn Grant 3-2-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 2-0-0
Georgia Hall 1-2-1 0-0-1 0-2-0 1-0-0
Leona Maguire 3-2-0 1-0-0 0-2-0 2-0-0
Carlota Ciganda 4-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 2-0-0
Anna Nordqvist 1-3-0 1-0-0 0-2-0 0-1-0
Maja Stark 2-1-1 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-1
Madelene Sagstrom 1-1-1 0-1-0 0-0-0 1-0-1
Gemma Dryburgh 0-0-2 0-0-1 0-0-0 0-0-1
Emily Pedersen 2-2-1 0-1-0 1-1-0 1-0-1
Caroline Hedwall 1-1-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0

American records

Player Overall (W-L-T) Singles (W-L-T) Foursomes (W-L-T) Fourball (W-L-T)
Lilia Vu 1-3-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-2-0
Nelly Korda 2-2-0 0-1-0 2-0-0 0-1-0
Allisen Corpuz 2-1-1 0-1-0 2-0-0 0-0-1
Megan Khang 3-0-1 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-0-1
Lexi Thompson 3-1-0 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-1-0
Jennifer Kupcho 0-2-1 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-1
Ally Ewing 1-3-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-2-0
Rose Zhang 0-3-1 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-1
Danielle Kang 2-2-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-1-0
Angel Yin 2-1-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-1-0
Andrea Lee 1-2-1 0-0-1 1-1-0 0-1-0
Cheyenne Knight 2-0-1 0-0-1 1-0-0 1-0-0

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Clutch putts were the story of Saturday foursomes at the 2023 Solheim Cup, where the U.S. holds a two-point lead

The Europeans carried the momentum to Saturday morning while an American pairing earned another big win.

CASARES, Spain — If you didn’t set an alarm to wake up for Saturday morning’s foursomes session at the 2023 Solheim Cup you missed some great golf.

After the Americans swept the Friday morning session for the first time in the biennial event’s 17-year history, Team Europe carried on the momentum from a 3-1 afternoon fourball win and halved the Saturday morning session with the U.S., 2-2. Team USA holds a 7-5 advantage as the event heads into afternoon foursomes.

“I think it’s important because you don’t want to give too much to the Americans,” said fan-favorite Spaniard Carlota Ciganda of changing the momentum. “I mean, they are tough to beat. They are really strong and they are really good, so we can do this, but we have to play good golf, and we have to be very present and hopefully that’s enough.”

Ciganda and Emily Pedersen never trailed in their match against world No. 2 Lilia Vu and Jennifer Kupcho as the Europeans put the first point of the day on the board in the opening match. The Euros won Nos. 5 and 6, the Americans responded by claiming Nos. 7 and 8 and then tied the ninth to send the match to the back nine all square. From there, Pedersen and Ciganda took control with a win on No. 10 and never looked back.

“We knew what the job is, to go out and get points,” said Pedersen after the match. “And Carlota and I spoke last night, from the start every shot counts, and we did that. I think we were really good at staying present. We got over it when we made mistakes and then we just kept on fighting, kept the spirits high. So we did great as a team.”

U.S. captain Stacy Lewis has a dynamite foursomes pairing in Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz as the veteran-rookie combo won their second foursomes match of the week, this time with a 5-and-3 shellacking of Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier. The European pairing entered the week undefeated in the format but have now lost the last two days. Korda and Corpuz are no strangers to taking down high-profile pairings as they beat Leona Maguire and Anna Nordqvist, 1 up, on Friday.

“Allisen and I just played really well the past two days. I think we just bonded really well on the golf course,” said Korda. “We didn’t make too many mistakes, especially today, and we rolled in a lot of putts.”

“I think Nelly is really calm, which is kind of what I need. I play pretty low energy,” added Corpuz. “Obviously she has the experience as well. So just knowing that having someone like her by my side has helped me a lot to get comfortable.”

Corpuz has played all three matches thus far and has yet to lose, winning twice and earning a tie in Friday fourball.

Speaking of pairings that won and lost on both Friday and Saturday in foursomes, Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang went to work once again on Day 2 and took down Maguire and Nordqvist, 1 up, after the playing assistant captain Nordqvist missed a putt to tie the match on the 18th green.

Thompson and Kang were 2 down through eight holes, but then won Nos. 9-11 to flip the match. Nordqvist and Maguire tied the match with birdie on No. 15, but a par for Team USA on the 17th provided the late advantage.

The best match of the session was the last between European rookies and best friends Maja Stark and Linn Grant against Team USA’s Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee. The Swedes had every opportunity to put Kang and Lee away, but the Americans fought back at every step and made clutch putt after clutch putt to keep the match in check.

Stark made one of her own for birdie on No. 17 to give Europe a 1-up lead with just the 18th to play, and then Grant followed suit with a 10-footer for birdie that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

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2023 Solheim Cup Friday morning foursomes pairings feature struggling Lexi Thompson out first

World No. 2 Lilia Vu is on the bench for the opening matches, as is rising star Rose Zhang.

CASARES, Spain — The opening tee shots of the 2023 Solheim Cup are just hours away and the first group of pairings have officially been announced.

Friday morning’s foursomes pairings and matches at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast were released during the opening ceremony Thursday night at nearby Marbella Arena, with none other than U.S. star Lexi Thompson, who has struggled this year, set to take the first swing alongside Megan Khang against European and Swedish rookies, Linn Grant and Maja Stark.

Notably on the bench for the American side are world No. 2 Lilia Vu, who won two major championships this season, as well as rising star Rose Zhang, who has a penchant for match play.

“I wanted to get off to a good start. I wanted to get out four really good pairings and that’s kind of been my focus this whole time,” said U.S. captain Stacy Lewis. “So it was more about who matched up together versus even — I didn’t even look at who was sitting, to be honest. I wasn’t even worried about who was sitting. It was more just what are my best four options.”

“For my sake, I feel like I’ve had these four pairings down on paper for quite a few months now,” added European captain Suzann Pettersen. “It was more like in what order do you play ’em.”

Check out the four matches and pairings, as well as the eight players who will ride the pine pony for the first session of matches at the 2023 Solheim Cup. (Note: Spain is six hours ahead of Eastern Time in the U.S.)

MEET THE TEAMS: Europe | USA

Meet the 12 players representing Team Europe at the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain

Three players will make their debut for the European side next month in Spain.

In just a month’s time the U.S. and Europe will square off at the 2023 Solheim Cup, and one of the two squads has been set.

European captain Suzann Pettersen announced her four captain’s picks on Tuesday, completing the 12-player team bound for Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, Sept. 22-24. Team Europe is comprised of the top-two players in the Europe Solheim Cup standings, the top-six players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking (not already eligible) and four captain’s picks.

The Americans have been victorious 10 times, most recently in 2017 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa, while the Europeans are looking for a third consecutive win and their eighth overall.

Meet the 12 players who will take on the U.S. at the 2023 Solheim Cup.

Photos: Maja Stark through the years

View photos of Swedish golfer Maja Stark throughout her career.

Maja Stark may just be the next face of Scandinavian golf.

The Swedish star made her professional debut in August of 2021, establishing herself on the Ladies European Tour. After a highly successful amateur career that included three wins at Oklahoma State, All-American honors, Big 12 Player of the Year (2021), a Junior Solheim Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup and multiple Augusta National Women’s Amateur appearances, Stark used her experience to quickly adapt to the pro game.

From September of 2021 to August of 2022, Stark racked up five wins on the LET, the final win doubling as her first LPGA Tour win – the ISPS Handa World Invitational.

In her first full season on the LPGA Tour, Stark is closing in on a top-30 world ranking and is comfortably inside the top 25 in the Race to CME Globe.

With strong showings over the past couple of seasons, look for Stark to carry the strong Swedish influence on the LPGA for time to come.

Sweden, Thailand ride to 4-0 starts at LPGA’s 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown

Through two days at TPC Harding Park, Sweden and Thailand have yet to lose.

Through two days at TPC Harding Park, Sweden and Thailand have yet to lose.

The Swedish teams of Madelene Sagstrom/Maja Stark and Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall won their matches early Friday in the second round of the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, giving them a sterling 4-0-0 mark in San Francisco.

Sweden has already earned a spot in Sunday’s semifinals, regardless of how things shake out during Saturday’s third round. Thailand will join the Scandinavians after closing out Korea in the final matches of the day on Friday to also secure a perfect start.

Patty Tavatanakit/Atthaya Thitikul defeated Jin Young Ko/Hyo Joo Kim while the sister squad of Ariya Jutanugarn/Moriya Jutanugarn took down Hye Jin Choi/In Gee Chun.

“I love this course. I feel like it is a really tight course, but it doesn’t seem tight for me just because I really love this course and I feel like I can really get it going with a lot of confidence,” Tavatanakit said. “That really helped with my flow, too. That’s why I really hit it well.”

2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown
Atthaya Thitikul of Team Thailand plays her shot from the third tee during day two of the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. (Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Team USA, the top-seed in the eight-team event and the only team with all four members having won a major championship, was 1-1-0 after Day 1 after splitting its matches with China.

On Friday, the Lilia Vu/Nelly Korda duo knocked out Liz Young/Alice Hewson, while the Danielle Kang/Lexi Thompson team beat Bronte Law/Jodi Ewart Shadoff, which sent the English squad to its fourth loss in two days. The U.S. has 3 points out of a possible 4.

The Americans are fourth after two days, however, as Team Australia, with 3 ½ points, has also yet to lose a match. The teams dealt with chilly temperatures throughout the day and Saturday’s forecast is expected to bring rain.

“I’m a Florida girl and I get cold pretty easily, but I think making sure you adjust to the weather, clubbing up, talking to your caddie a little more with club selections, and staying warm is key,” said Korda. “Everyone is kind of dealing with it, so you’re just trying to stay as patient as possible.

“The golf course is tough. It’s tough weather and the fairways aren’t very wide, and it gets tricky out here, especially if the wind picks up. Trying to stay warm and patient is the key this week.”

The No. 2-seeded Korean squad and the fifth-seeded English team will return to play Friday but will do so having both been eliminated from advancing.

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A peaceful, easy feeling has come over this Scandinavian team at the LPGA’s Hanwha International Crown

Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark of Team Sweden played together for the first time in a team event as professionals.

There’s something about California that brings out the easiness in everybody. Soft breezes. Beautiful beaches. The Eagles playing through speakers at every turn. It’s a place to exhale and relax.

Just ask Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark of Team Sweden, who played together for the first time in a team event as professionals on Thursday as part of the Hanwha International Crown at TPC Harding Park.

In her debut at the event, Stark admitted she was nervous and a birdie on the first hole didn’t settle her down. But things just rolled from there as she and Sagstrom battled the English duo of Liz Young and Alice Hewson.

Since Sagstrom had experience with the format, she felt the need to ease her talented teammate into the tournament.

“I kind of felt like I knew what I was doing today and it was more trying to get her in a good place,” Sagstrom said. “It was a really good matchup. We played really well together. Our games are fairly similar, so it’s fun. We’ve never played team events before because I’m a lot older than her, so it’s cool. It’s awesome.

“But I think at the same time my experience also kind of helps me being out there. I talked a little bit about how I felt in previous Solheims and stuff, so it was good.”

The pair got to 4 under through the first three holes and had little trouble dispatching the English side 5 and 4. Their teammates, Anna Nordquist and Caroline Hedwall, also had little trouble with the Brits, winning 4 and 3 to put the Swedish team on the top of Pool A.

As for the format, the first three rounds of play feature four-ball competition with the top two countries from each pool advancing to Sunday. Two semifinal matches will be played Sunday morning. New this year, each semifinal match will consist of two singles matches and one foursomes match.

The winning semifinal countries will compete in the final match on Sunday afternoon, and a third-place match will take place between the two losing semifinal countries. Both matches will be in the same format as the semifinals.

Anna Nordqvist of Team Sweden plays her shot from the 12th tee during day one of the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown at TPC Harding Park on May 04, 2023, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

As for Stark, she thinks she’s ready for whatever comes next, thanks to a relaxing opening day with Sagstrom.

“It was mostly nice to see (Sagstrom) was not frustrated with me, that she knows what it’s like and can relate to it,” Stark said. “It was very nice because it made me more calm and I could focus on what I was doing wrong like technically in the shots, which was that I was thinking about technique and not the pins because I was trying to be perfect.

“So yeah, I think it was just calming.”

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Bangkok rookie, known as ‘Sim 300’ for her power off the tee, leads early at 2023 Honda LPGA Thailand

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap is playing on a sponsor exemption and leading.

A trio of Thai players are in the top 10 of the Honda LPGA Thailand, including a rookie who leads the field at 12 under.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, 20, got into the field after winning a national qualifier for the event earlier this year. She’s competing on a sponsor exemption and making the most of her experience, carding a second-round 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Sweden’s Maja Stark. Vongtaveelap carded six birdies on her back nine.

“This is my first time, you know,” she said of her Honda debut. “It’s my largest crowd in my life.”

Bangkok’s Vongtaveelap turned professional last November after advancing through the first two stages of LPGA Q-School. She earned LPGA membership for 2023 after finishing in a tie for 28th at LPGA Q-Series. Vongtaveelap goes by “Sim” and is known as “Sim 300” for her distance off the tee.

Duke grad Jaravee Boonchant, another LPGA rookie, sits in a share of third while LPGA veteran Pornanong Phatlum holds a share of eighth, three back.

Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, last year’s LPGA Rookie of the Year, trails by four at T-15. 2022 U.S Women’s Amateur champion Saki Baba, who is also competing on a sponsor exemption, is tied for 20th at 7 under.

Stark, who holed out twice for eagle in the opening round, has won seven times worldwide since she left Oklahoma State early to turn professional in the summer of 2021. Her victory at the ISPS Handa World Invitational last summer earned her an LPGA card. She currently tops the LET’s Solheim Cup points list.

“I’ve been trying to get better at handling nerves, but I feel like I’m going to have nerves the whole weekend, so I’m just going to keep playing aggressively anyway. Just keep putting my foot on the pedal and try to go low. Not compare myself to other people. Just try to make as many birdies as I can do because can’t affect the way they’re playing.”

Nelly Korda of United States looks on putting green at 18th hole during the second round of the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club on February 24, 2023 in Chon Buri. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)

Second-ranked Korda’s 66 was highlighted by a chip-in for eagle on the par-5 10th hole. Korda, whose sister Jessica won this event in 2018, said she was in between clubs on her second shot and opted to hit 3-wood off the downhill slope. She’d actually practiced the chip shot that followed earlier in the week.

“It was a tricky shot,” said Korda. “It was an undulated green kind of with not much room to work with, a little downhill left-to-righter, and then coming back left and I just landed it perfectly.”

World No. 1 Lydia Ko won last week in Saudi Arabia and trails by four after back-to-back 68s.

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