Maja Stark Bio
Maja Sofia Stark, born on 10 December 1999, is a Swedish professional golfer who competes on both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. Standing 175 cm tall, she is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished Swedish players of her generation, having won her first major title at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills. She has six Ladies European Tour titles and earned full LPGA Tour membership through her commanding victory at the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland. Stark is also a former standout college player at Oklahoma State University, where she earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors in 2020–21.
Early Life and Background
Maja Sofia Stark was born on 10 December 1999 in Skurup, a small town in Skåne County in southern Sweden. She grew up in nearby Abbekås, a coastal community that has remained her home base throughout her professional career. The mild climate and abundance of golf courses in Skurup and Abbekås helped introduce Stark to the sport at a young age, and she quickly progressed through Sweden’s national development programs.
Stark joined the Swedish National Team in 2016 at just sixteen years of age, an early sign of her potential within the country’s competitive amateur pipeline. She represented Sweden at the European Girls’ Team Championship, earning a silver medal in 2016 and gold in 2017, and was also part of the 2017 European Junior Solheim Cup team. In the years that followed, she was a key contributor to Sweden’s dominant run at the European Ladies’ Team Championship, winning the title in 2018, 2019, and 2020 alongside teammates including Frida Kinhult, Ingrid Lindblad, Linn Grant, and Beatrice Wallin.
Path to Golf
Stark’s transition from junior standout to elite-level player accelerated in 2019 when she enrolled at Oklahoma State University in the United States. In her freshman year she won the Hurricane Invitational in just her second collegiate start, and later that season helped the International team capture the 2020 Arnold Palmer Cup at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida. She finished her freshman year ranked No. 4 nationally by GolfStat with a 49–2 record in head-to-head matches against top-100 players and a 70.48 stroke average, breaking a school record previously held by Caroline Hedwall.
As an amateur, Stark qualified for her first major championship, the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, and finished tied for 13th. The following year, at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, she was tied for ninth after three rounds before closing with a 74 to finish tied for 16th. These performances, combined with her collegiate results, established her as one of the top amateurs in the world, and she reached No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in July 2020. She turned professional in August 2021, with the goal of qualifying for the LPGA Tour through Q-School.
Maja Stark Career
Early Career (2021–2022)
Stark wasted no time in her professional career, winning her first title at the PGA Championship by Trelleborgs Kommun on the LET Access Series in August 2021, in just her second start as a professional. Later that year, she captured her first Ladies European Tour title at the Creekhouse Ladies Open, finishing four shots ahead of compatriot Linn Grant to secure LET membership. Less than a month later, she added the Estrella Damm Ladies Open for her second LET title of the season.
In 2022, Stark continued to build momentum, winning the Women’s NSW Open by five strokes and capturing the Amundi German Masters by one shot over Leonie Harm and Jessica Karlsson. The high point of the season came in August at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, where she won by a commanding five-stroke margin. Because the event was co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET, the victory earned Stark full membership on the LPGA Tour, and she made her LPGA member debut at the Portland Classic, where she finished in the top ten.
LPGA Tour Breakthrough (2023–2024)
Stark opened her first full LPGA season in strong form, finishing runner-up at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January 2023. In February, she claimed her sixth LET title at the Lalla Meryem Cup, winning by four shots over Linn Grant. Later that year, she made her Solheim Cup debut in September, representing Team Europe and going 2–1–1 across her matches, including a Sunday singles victory over U.S. Open champion Allisen Corpuz as Europe mounted a comeback to retain the cup.
In 2024, Stark continued to demonstrate her ability to contend in the biggest events, finishing solo second to world number one Nelly Korda at the 2024 Chevron Championship, at the time her career-best finish in a major. She was also awarded honorary membership in the PGA of Sweden that year in recognition of her growing impact on the sport.
Major Championship Era (2025–Present)
Stark’s breakthrough at the highest level of women’s golf came in 2025 when she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin. She secured a two-stroke margin of victory, claiming her first major title and becoming the first Swedish winner of the event since Annika Sörenstam in 2006. The triumph confirmed her place among the elite players on the LPGA Tour and added a major championship to a résumé that already featured six LET titles.
Notable Events and Milestones
Stark’s major-championship debut as an amateur at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, where she finished tied for 13th, marked her first appearance on the biggest stage in women’s golf. Her victory at the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational stands as the result that earned her LPGA Tour membership, while her 2025 U.S. Women’s Open title at Erin Hills stands as the defining milestone of her career so far. Her singles win over Allisen Corpuz at the 2023 Solheim Cup also stands out as a signature moment in team competition.
Maja Stark Career Wins
Maja Stark has accumulated nine professional wins across multiple tours, including six Ladies European Tour titles, two LPGA Tour victories, and one title on the LET Access Series. Her victories span Europe, Australia, the United States, and the Middle East, reflecting her global schedule since turning professional in August 2021.
Ladies European Tour Highlights
Stark’s first LET title came at the 2021 Creekhouse Ladies Open, and she has since added the 2021 Estrella Damm Ladies Open, the 2022 Women’s NSW Open (co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia), the 2022 Amundi German Masters, the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational (co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour), and the 2023 Lalla Meryem Cup. The ISPS Handa World Invitational win, secured by five strokes in Northern Ireland, remains her most dominant LET performance and the result that opened the door to the LPGA Tour.
Other Wins & Performances
In addition to her six LET titles, Stark has recorded co-sanctioned victories on the LPGA Tour at the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. She also won the 2021 PGA Championship by Trelleborgs Kommun on the LET Access Series. Across her professional career, she has regularly contended on both tours, with multiple runner-up finishes and additional top-ten appearances in major championships and full-field events.
Maja Stark Family
Personal Life
Maja Stark maintains her residence in her hometown of Abbekås, Skurup, in Skåne County, Sweden, where she grew up and continues to base herself between tournament appearances. Details about her parents, spouse, and children are not publicly confirmed in available sources.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season is defined by Stark’s victory at the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, which delivered her first major championship and a two-stroke winning margin. The result propelled her into the top tier of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and represented the culmination of several years of consistent contention on the LPGA Tour, including her 2024 Chevron Championship runner-up finish.
Stark’s 2025 campaign also includes a fully exempt LPGA Tour card earned through her prior performance and major exemption, allowing her to schedule a robust playing calendar across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her Solheim Cup eligibility for the European team remains a storyline to watch in the team-event calendar, building on her 2–1–1 debut in 2023.
Looking ahead, Stark is positioned as a contender for further major championships and additional LPGA Tour wins. Her blend of power, course management, and experience in team match play suggests she will remain a fixture in the upper echelon of women’s golf for the foreseeable future, with the Women’s World Golf Rankings expected to reflect her major breakthrough in the months following Erin Hills.