US Women's Open: Maja Stark edges ahead as Nelly Korda keeps major hopes alive with late birdie burst
World No 1 Nelly Korda birdied three of her last five holes to stay within three of the lead; Maja Stark takes one-shot lead into final day of the US Women's Open; watch live on Sunday from 7pm on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Main Event
Sunday 1 June 2025 11:26, UK
Maja Stark takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the US Women's Open as Nelly Korda produced a late fightback to stay in major contention.
Stark posted a two-under 70 to move top of a congested leaderboard at Erin Hills and grab the first 54-hole major lead of her career, with the Swede mixing three birdies with a lone bogey to head into the final day on seven under.
The Solheim Cup star holds a narrow advantage over Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez, who charged into second after a round-of-the-day 68, with Japanese trio Rio Takeda, Hinako Shibuno and Mao Saigo all sharing third spot on five under.
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Saigo - chasing a second successive major title - held the halfway lead but fell two behind after finishing a third-round 75 with successive bogeys, while world No 1 Korda is three back thanks to three birdies in her final five holes.
Minjee Lee, Linn Grant and Sarah Schmelzel are in tied-seventh on three under, with England's Charley Hull seven back and in joint-21st after a one-under 71 lifted her back to level par.
Stark ahead after high-scoring day
Saigo took a three-shot lead into the third round but made three straight bogeys from the fourth to lose her outright advantage, before the Chevron Championship winner pulled level with an eight-foot birdie at the 12th.
Stark was three off the halfway lead and cancelled out an opening-hole birdie with a dropped shot at the third, before pulling level when she birdied the tenth and holed another from 20 feet at the 16th.
Saigo then bogeyed the last two to fall two back, as Stark finished with successive pars to secure the 54-hole lead on a day where fast greens and tricky pin placements wreaked havoc with the field.
"I think I'm just going to try to play freely," Stark said. "I think that no one has ever played well when they've been playing scared, and I think that's been my habit before, to just kind of try to hang on to it."
A Lim Kim, starting the day in a six-way tie for second place, played a four-hole stretch in seven over during her third round, while Esther Henseleit double-bogeyed the par-four 15th despite driving the green.
Jinhee Im birdied two of her first three holes to get to six under before she triple-bogeyed the par-4 fourth, with Korda also struggling during a front-nine 40 before going on a late birdie run.
"It's just a golf course where you may not hit it in the right spot and it'll go down 40 feet and instead of being almost tap-in range, now you have a 40-foot chip where it's running off the back, as well," Korda said. "You just know that your mentality is that you're going to make mistakes."
Who will win the US Women's Open? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 7pm on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Main Event. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
