Coming off the back of a second-place finish at last week’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, Maja Stark believes her season starts now.
After taking some time off over winter due to illness and easing herself back into 2022, the Swedish star is excited for the year ahead on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Stark finished two points behind American Sihwan Kim in Thailand and as a result has made moves on all of the ranking lists.
She moved up to number 87 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, sits third in the 2022 Race to Costa del Sol and is second in the Solheim Cup Points 2023 list.
And after blowing the cobwebs away, the rising star was pleased with how she played in Thailand especially with how well she scored during the second week.
“I feel like I have finally come back from winter golf and it being really cold. Playing on even par is a fantastic score with those conditions, but I am very happy to get into the birdie and eagle mindset,” she said.
“I’m happy with my game. My putting could have been a lot better last week, and my irons on the final day weren’t very good. But I think I shot -6 for the last round and -20 is by far my best score on a four-round tournament. I’m happy with it.”
It is the continuation of an excellent start to professional life for the 22-year-old, who only made the leap last August.
And soon after had won on the LET Access Series and clinched two LET titles in three starts winning the Creekhouse Ladies Open and the Estrella Damm Ladies Open.
This week sees another new destination for Stark as she heads to the southern hemisphere for the first time and will play both tournaments in Australia.
“I have never been to Australia before! I am looking forward to the course and discovering another new place,” she explained.
“I feel very good. The confidence especially with the putting has gone up so much and I want to keep playing on the LET all year and hopefully climb some more.”
After arriving on Monday for the Australian Women’s Classic – Bonville, which is co-sanctioned by the LET and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, the 2017 PING Junior Solheim Cup player has practiced around the course and played in the Pro-Am.
“It definitely has a similar look to Augusta. The layout is very different, but I like the tall trees and the elevation around the place. I like the course and it has been fun to play,” she added.
“You don’t get any roll with the drives so you might have to be good with your long irons and woods, I think being long will help this week. Knowing where to miss is important because the greens are small, so you don’t want to hit it on the runoff.
“It feels perfect with these temperatures, I think I have always taken it for granted. It is so nice to be playing here.”
Stark leads the field of 108 players at Bonville Golf Resort where they will compete for a prize pool of €240,000 in a 72-hole stroke play format.
Sweden’s Julia Engström, English pair Alice Hewson and Meghan MacLaren, Welsh duo Lydia Hall and Becky Brewerton, and France’s Lucie Malchirand will all tee it up this week.
While there is plenty of home interest too with LET and LPGA Tour pro Sarah Kemp in attendance alongside Whitney Hillier, Amy Walsh, Kristalle Blum and 11 Australian amateurs including Kirsten Rudgeley and Kelsey Bennett.
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