The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open saw a first-time major winner hoist the trophy for the second time this season, as Sweden’s Maja Stark outdueled Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda coming down the stretch to claim her second career victory in Wisconsin.

Stark entered the final round with the lead at a major championship for the first time in her career, sitting one stroke ahead of Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, who carded a third-round 68 that moved her into the final group on Championship Sunday.

Take a statistical look at just how Stark pulled out the win in Erin, Wisconsin, and other storylines that developed at the year’s second major.

Firing on All Cylinders

Often when a player finds themselves in the winner’s circle at a major championship, they lead some sort of major statistical category, whether it’s strokes gained total, driving distance, feet of putts made or otherwise. Maja Stark was no exception.

She led in only one major category, but it was ultimately the most important – strokes gained total. The Swede was first in total strokes gained for the tournament at 4.09, tied for third in birdies, fifth in strokes gained putting, tied for eighth in greens in regulation and 16th in driving distance. Stark did not fall outside the top 20 in any of the four major strokes gained categories, highlighting the consistency of her game in what are typically the toughest conditions of the season.

Stark’s putting in particular was the strongest it has been all season. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Stark saw an increase in her strokes gained putting at the U.S. Women’s Open (+1.78) compared to the rest of her season and averaged more one-putts per round (5.8 putts to 6.3 putts), as well as fewer putts per GIR (1.86 to 1.76) on the incredibly undulated, quick greens at Erin Hills.

Everything was clicking for Stark, and that all-around prowess showed by the end of the week. The U.S. Women’s Open has been hit-or-miss for her throughout her career, as she has either finished inside the top 20 or missed the cut. In 2024, Stark got her first top-10 result in Lancaster, Penn., after finishing the week at Lancaster Country Club in a tie for ninth.

The 25-year-old’s game is clearly built for the toughest challenges in women’s golf, and Stark proved that even further with her first major victory at a course built for USGA Championships.

Ball-Striking Clinic from Korda

Korda’s picture-perfect swing helped her tremendously throughout the week in Erin, Wis., but the two-time major winner's flat stick was a different story in her 11th U.S. Women’s Open appearance.

Korda led the field in strokes gained off the tee (+1.82) and was tied for second in strokes gained total (+3.59). She ranked fifth in strokes gained approach (+1.67) and eighth in strokes gained around the green. Looking at KPMG Performance Insights data, the Rolex Rankings No. 1 gained 15.5 strokes total tee to green at the U.S. Women’s Open, which is her best tournament-long tee-to-green performance since the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, where she finished with 11.9 strokes gained in that metric.

Korda’s season-long strokes gained approach numbers have also been steadily increasing year-to-year since 2023, going from 0.20 (58) in 2023, to 0.59 (22) in 2024 and 0.88 (11) so far in 2025.

On the greens, the 26-year-old ranked 52nd of the 60 players who made the cut in strokes gained putting at -0.42. Despite the below-average putting performance at Erin Hills, Korda still had her best showing in a U.S. Women’s Open and looks on track to claim her first victory of the 2025 season soon.

Magical Third Round for Lopez Ramirez

Julia Lopez Ramirez grabbed the second spot in the final pairing heading into Championship Sunday after signing for possibly the round of the tournament on Moving Day. The Spaniard did what no one else could on Saturday by posting a round in the 60s at Erin Hills.

The scoring average for the third round sat at a whopping 75.230, the highest of the week by over a full shot. Lopez Ramirez was the exception on Moving Day, carding a 4-under 68 that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 1st hole. The scorecard only saw her make one bogey on three, while she added three birdies to go with the eagle.

The LPGA Tour rookie brought plenty of power to this golf course, leading the field in driving distance for the week at 292.6 yards, 15 yards more than the next closest competitor. That distance, coupled with the 22-year-old hitting 10 of 14 fairways on Saturday, helped put her into the last pairing heading into the final round.

A Welcomed Challenge

Erin Hills hosted its second U.S. Open when the field of 156 players teed it up on Thursday for the 80th U.S. Women’s Open. The course made its major championship debut in 2017, where Brooks Koepka emerged victorious from the U.S. Open after posting a four-day total of 16-under for the tournament. Despite the abnormally low score for a U.S. Open, each day played over par for the field, with the best of the best the only ones being able to take advantage of the difficult venue.

The same rang true when the top talents in women’s golf took to the course in 2025. Every round played at least one shot over par, with three of the four days playing at least two shots over par. The hardest day was Moving Day, with scores averaging 3.230 shots north of par.

Behind the Leaderboard: 2025 U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally

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