Maja Stark still waiting for major win to make her 'start crying and sleeping a lot'
It hasn't sunk in yet for Maja Stark.
Just a few short days removed from her life-changing victory at the 80th U.S. Women's Open, the 25-year-old reports that life still feels 'pretty normal,' but with more work.
'So I'm just still waiting,' said Stark ahead of her debut in the ShopRite LPGA Classic. 'Obviously we've had a lot of fun and got to celebrate a little bit, but I'm still waiting for it to settle in, waiting for it to just make me crash and just, yeah, start crying and sleeping a lot.
'But I haven't been able to sleep really.'
Stark, only the third Swede to win the title, said the celebrations didn't start in earnest until after she left Erin Hills, where she never made more than a bogey over the course of 72 grueling holes to win by two.
'Had the bottle the champagne in my room and I said to one of my friends, I've got one champagne bottle and two glasses. You want to come in and start celebrating?' said the affable Swede.
'Then we went to the pub here with a couple players and caddies and friends and stuff.'
Stark connected with Annika Sorenstam before she even left the 18th green on Sunday in Wisconsin. Tennis icon Billie Jean King sent a text message, and she thought it was cool that Justin Rose followed along on Sunday, tweeting at her mid-round. As of Wednesday, she had yet to get through all the notes.
'I think that people have been telling me to take a couple days off and take it slow,' said Stark. 'I tried that and I was bored as hell. So I just thought, no, I got to do what I usually do and still enjoy all of last week and everything that came with that.'
On Monday morning, Stark did a full slate of media from her room at the Best Western before flying to Philadelphia for the ShopRite, a low-scoring sprint of a tournament at 54 holes.
At the Wednesday pro-am, Stark reports that she wasn't really locked in until they came to a hole where caddies could hit and her looper, Jeff Brighton, waged a bet.
Stark promptly hit a 6-iron to 11 feet.
U.S. Women's Open brought big payday to Maja Stark
There was a point in Stark's career that she worried about money. Would she have enough to carry on? When Stark was asked about the $2.4 million winner's check last Sunday, she had no idea what she'd won.
'I'm lucky I've gotten to the point that's all secondary,' she said.
During her pre-tournament press conference near Atlantic City, Stark was asked what it means that for the rest of her life, she'll be known as a U.S. Women's Open champion. She gave a thoughtful albeit unusual response.
'I think that it's really weird,' said Stark. 'I think that it kind of puts like a separation now, like more between like you as a player and as a person, and I feel like I don't want anything to change, but it feels like it's going to change.
'So I'm just trying to mentally prepare for the fact that people are going to say – maybe going to say like that's the U.S. Women's Open champion, Maja Stark, and I'm just preparing to hear that instead of just, here is Maja Stark, she plays golf, you know.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
a day ago
- NBC Sports
Arsenal unveil Viktor Gyokeres on five-year deal
Arsenal have their big-ticket center forward, unveiling Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres after a reported $85 purchase from Sporting Lisbon on Saturday. MORE — All completed summer transfers in the Premier League Gyokeres signs a five-year deal and arrives with the hunger to prove himself in England after a quiet first ride in the country. The 26-times capped Swede turned 27 earlier this month and is coming off a cartoonish run with Sporting that saw him score 54 times with 11 assists across all competitions last season. More to come... Mikel Arteta comments on Viktor Gyokers 'We're absolutely delighted to welcome Viktor Gyökeres to the club. The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves. 'Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels. He brings a clinical edge with a high conversion rate of chances into goals, with his intelligent movement in the box making him a constant threat. 'We're excited about what Viktor brings to our squad and are looking forward to start working with him. 'We welcome Viktor and his family to Arsenal.'
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Danielle Kang makes 18th (!) hole-in-one at Porthcawl in run-up to British Open qualifier
Danielle Kang made her 18th hole-in-one on Thursday during a practice round at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club. The 32-year-old isn't yet in the field for the LPGA's final major. In fact, she traveled to the United Kingdom earlier this month to compete in the AIG Women's British Open pre-qualifier. Kang shot 1-under 70 to advance to Final Qualifying, which takes place July 28 at Pyle & Kenfig in Bridgend, Wales. A minimum of three players will qualify for AIG at Royal Porthcawl, held July 30 to Aug. 3. Kang, a six-time winner on the LPGA, notched her 17th ace during the opening round of the 2024 Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. It's been a tough stretch for the 2017 KPMG Women's PGA winner, who is currently ranked 507th in the world. Kang's best finish this season is a share of 54th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Kang's best finish at a Women's British Open in 12 appearances is a share of 32nd in 2020.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Alexander Isak eyes Newcastle exit with Liverpool monitoring situation
Alexander Isak wants to explore options at other clubs and a transfer away from Newcastle United, potentially throwing Eddie Howe's summer plans into chaos. The 25-year-old was not included in last week's friendly defeat to Celtic due to "speculation" around his future, and has now not travelled to Singapore for pre-season due to a thigh injury. Newcastle have been made aware that Isak is keen to consider his future elsewhere. The Independent understands that Howe had already privately told prominent figures at the club this summer that he was concerned about the player's situation. That view also precedes reports of Liverpool's public interest last week. Newcastle's position remains the same, however, which is that Isak is not for sale. Their stance has also been bolstered by the fact that he still has three years left on his current contract. There are also no ongoing talks over a new deal. An offer in the region of £150m may test that, though, especially with the knowledge that the player wants to consider his options. The big question, however, is where such an offer comes from. There are only about eight clubs that could afford such a deal, but almost none of them have the PSR headroom or squad need to make it happen. Liverpool have just spent £79m on Hugo Ekitike, a deal that had been linked to Isak's future given Newcastle's own interest in the French forward. That feasibly rules them out of a future move, although there is the potential twist should Darwin Nunez or Luis Diaz leave. Liverpool do have PSR headroom but want to ensure they have a sustainable squad with a manageable wage bill. Bayern Munich have spoken to Liverpool about Diaz, but it has not yet reached the point of an offer. Liverpool's current stance is that they are comfortable with their options at centre-forward and feel they have their number-nine in Ekitike, but a move for Isak this window has not been ruled out. Mikel Arteta has long been an admirer of the Swede, and would have love to do a deal, but it is seen as virtually impossible that Arsenal's Kroenke ownership will extend the budget. The club are also on the brink of signing Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres for less than half of Isak's anticipated price. Chelsea have now ruled out a move, despite previous interest in Isak, and representing one of the few clubs with the available budget. Any move for Isak would have also required a deviation from recent targets, as they continue to pursue moves for Xavi Simons and Jarrel Hato. While virtually every club sees Isak as an outstanding talent, there is some doubt about whether £150m is worth it for a player who has recently struggled to consistently play in full European schedules without injury.
