ERIN, Wis. — Sweden's Maja Stark surged to the top of the leaderboard at the U.S. Women's Open, taking a solo lead of first place at 7-under par after a steady performance in the third round at Erin Hills.
Japan's Mao Saigo, who began the day with a three-stroke advantage, struggled throughout the round and finished with two consecutive bogeys to drop to 5-under par, falling to third place.
It's a dropped shot for Mao Saigo on 17.
— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 31, 2025
Maja Stark 🇸🇪 is now the solo leader at -7.@Ally pic.twitter.com/yFxgQWoUq1
Rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez from Spain sits in second place after shooting a 68, highlighted by an eagle on the first hole.
The front nine proved challenging for many competitors, including world number one Nelly Korda, who bogeyed four times before making a strong recovery on the back nine.
"Me and my caddie did a good job of not putting ourselves in bad positions," Sweden golfer Maja Stark said." I mean, there's a lot of run-offs, especially today. They put the pins in some really nasty places. I feel like we played real smart today… so I'm really happy with a steady round."
Maja Stark for a share of the lead 💥
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 31, 2025
Birdie on 16 gets her to -7pic.twitter.com/36GoBBMK9f
Korda, who rallied with three birdies on the back nine, including one on the 18th hole, sits alone in sixth place at 4-under par, still within striking distance heading into Sunday's final round.
"I just needed, honestly, a putt to go in," American golfer Nelly Korda stated. "I chipped one up close. I mean, it wasn't really the longest of putts, but at least some momentum, some positivity to turn it around. And then, two-putted on the next hole with it being reachable, which was actually not the easiest of putts. I was happy to kind of rally back on the back-line after having such a poor start."
Despite her early struggles, Korda remains optimistic about her chances in the final round.
"It's just golf," she added. "I mean, I've done it enough where it's just, it's all about being patient. There's just so many ups and downs, and you just have to kind of stick with it. As crazy and as many times as I say it, it's literally one shot at a time. Anything can happen. It just takes one shot."
Saigo is now part of a three-way tie for third place at 5-under par as the tournament heads into Sunday's final round.
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