Maja Stark says staying patient has been the key to her recent success on the LPGA Tour.
And if these last two weeks were any indication, a return to the LPGA Tour’s winner’s circle is going to happen sooner rather than later.
Stark – who shot a 3-under 68 Sunday at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro – finished in second for the second-straight week on the LPGA Tour.
She ended up three shots back of Hannah Green at Wilshire after finishing runner-up to Nelly Korda last week at The Chevron Championship.
Stark couldn’t quite make up any ground on Green through her first 12 holes, sitting at even par, but she made four birdies in her final six holes – including back-to-back circles on her scorecard on Nos. 17 and 18 – to end the week on a high note.
“Just been really good practice in patience. I'm really proud of the way I've played,” Stark said. “I feel like I've hit a lot of good shots and I feel like my nerves kind of took over for a little while, but I was always able to get back to… my normal state of mind. So that's been just great.”
Stark said staying dialled in, mentally, has been the key for her over the last two weeks. She said last week at The Chevron Championship that she was thrilled with her result at the first major of the year after things were “actually terrible” with her golf swing. But she analyzed things with her coaches and managed to figure out a few key technique tweaks.
“There is so much you can mess up. If you can move forward from that – I think I’ve struggled before and just been so hung up on, ‘oh, I made double. Now my chances are gone’ but that’s not really the case – I’ve been learning through experience, and I can turn it around pretty quick.”
After Stark made the turn she said, with a smile, that her approach to Wilshire pivoted a little bit – especially with Green pulling away.
“I just kind of thought, ‘screw it,’” Stark said. “’Now is not the time to hold back anymore.’ I think that just made me swing it a little bit more freely. I don’t think I had to think as much on the putts.
“When I say, ‘screw it’, it just kind of relieves myself of the pressure and I just tell myself I don’t care where that goes. Obviously I do care, but something clicks in my brain to just pretend like I don’t care.”
Stark had a fabulous week with the putter at Wilshire and said she’s started a new way of visualizing her putts – an approach that’s helped for sure.
“Some technique stuff has been occupying my mind, especially with the putting, so I was just focusing on the hole – and it obviously works well. Going to try to keep doing that,” Stark said.
Stark said there wasn’t much pressure on her to keep the momentum going from the major last week, but she admitted she was hearing more and more chatter about the Olympics. She and Linn Grant are neck-and-neck for Sweden’s top spot.
“To make it into the Olympics it depends so much on what other people do,” Stark said. “I have just been trying to put that in the back of my mind.”
Despite Stark’s hot hand, she said she’s looking forward to a week off as she revealed she was “nauseous and tired” all week long.
“Obviously not when I step on the golf course,” she said, “then I’m actually fine.”
She managed to navigate not feeling 100 percent to record another solid result on the LPGA Tour, and with plenty more big events to come this season, don’t be surprised if Stark nabs a win soon.
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