BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland –
Maja Stark of Sweden finished with a 10-under 63 on Sunday, winning the ISPS Handa World Invitational for her third win of the year on the Ladies European Tour, and with an added advantage.
The tournament will be sanctioned in tandem with the LPGA Tour, giving the former Oklahoma State star entry into the LPGA.
Stark started the final round two strokes behind Amanda Doherty and quickly took control with a 31 on the front nine at Galgorm Castle. She had nine birdies over 14 holes, turning a close race into a loss.
Stark finished 20-under 271, five shots ahead of Allisen Corpuz, who finished on 68.
The tournament was held at Galgorm Castle and Massereene and was played concurrently with an official European Tour event. The men and women competed separately but for the same prize fund, with Stark raising a career-high $225,000 from the $1.5 million purse.
Stark won twice on the LET late last year. She finished second (and lowest female) in the Asian Mixed Stableford, and then won the Women’s New South Wales Open and the Amundi German Masters.
The 22-year-old Swede had a choice of becoming an LPGA member immediately or waiting until 2023 for her rookie year. The LPGA Tour has nine tournaments remaining ahead of the CME Group Tour Championship in November.