AMAZINGCRE PORTLAND CLASSIC

September 16, 2022

Maja Stark

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Here with Maja Stark after her second round. I want to talk about the eagle first on the par-5. Can you just take me through that hole. You put yourself in contention or in the lead at the time with that.

MAJA STARK: Yeah. I hit a pretty okay drive. I struggled with my driver a lot today, but it was pretty okay, but it just ran out into the rough on the right-hand side.

Had a pretty tough lie, but then I just like chunked one up there. Had a like a 35-footer.

And then it was good that the hole was in the way because it would've been I think ten feet past the hole, yeah.

Q. So just bounced off the flag into the hole?

MAJA STARK: Yeah, didn't have the flag in. Just got it up on the green.

Q. Oh, okay. Got you. You putted it in?

MAJA STARK: Yeah.

Q. Okay, got you. Okay. Awesome. I want to know, I know this is your first time on the LPGA Tour, so were your expectations that the LPGA was going to be super hard or what was your mindset about playing on the LPGA before you started here?

MAJA STARK: I think we've heard a lot about the greens being more difficult and the greens being firmer and faster, so I was expecting that.

But then I think there are other parts of the game that are maybe a little bit easier. Like it's a bit wider some places, the greens are a bit bigger, so I feel like that kind of (indiscernible) up, at least this week. I don't know what it's like on the other tournaments.

But, yeah, expected it to be a bit tougher. Like obviously more people. (Plane interference.)

Q. Yeah.

MAJA STARK: So I think, yeah, it's kind of what I expected.

Q. Okay. So knowing thinking it might have been a little harder, as you just said, tougher, how satisfying is it to come out in your first LPGA start and you're already atop the leaderboard?

MAJA STARK: It's very satisfying to know that I can do it and wasn't just a fluke that I played well last time.

Yeah, it's so nice. I felt like I was struggling out there today, and then coming in with a minus-5, I'm over the moon that can it feel so bad but then end up working out.

Q. An eagle can really turn things around out there it seems. No, you had a great round. Last question: What are you most looking forward to going into this weekend? Going to be at the top, playing in contention. Does that excite you? Make you more confident?

MAJA STARK: It really excites me. Just getting through, like not having to worry about the cut, because I can feel -- like I've got a little bit -- like my whole body just tenses up.

Q. Anxious. I got you.

MAJA STARK: Yeah, few times. And then I just miss-hit so many times when I just feel like I was that bit more tense. So now I'm just thinking just let loose and go for it.

Yeah, I'm just excited about maybe my mental state being a bit better this weekend.