How Maria Jose Marin, from Colombia by way of Arkansas, had her ANWA moment

Maria Jose Marin won the Augusta National Women's Amateur on Saturday by four shots. Hector Vivas / Getty Images Share full articleAUGUSTA, Ga. — Maria José Marin never drew it up like this. Walking up the 18th fairway at Augusta National with a comfortable lead, tapping in a putt to become the first Colombian champion of the esteemed Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and hugging her parents and 10-year-old brother with a trophy ceremony in Butler Cabin awaiting her — it all felt surreal. But the 19-year-old always believed that this was possible for her, even if she couldn’t quite fathom it. “I would never, ever think that I was going to be right here right now, but it’s just because of all of my hard work and my perseverance and the love that I have for the game,” Marin said. Marin won the 2026 ANWA on Saturday by four shots. She posted a 4-under 68 in the final round and set a tournament scoring record by finishing at 14-under par. Spanish voices rang throughout the Augusta National property as Marin, a junior at Arkansas, suddenly found herself with a four-shot lead with six holes to play after Asterisk Talley, the 17-year-old phenom, made a quadruple bogey on No. 12. Marin’s entourage made sure she knew that they were there to help her capitalize on that advantage. Marin’s parents, brother, teammates, coaches and staff from the Colombian national team lived and died with every shot. Mexico’s Maria Fassi, a past runner-up at this event and current LPGA Tour player, walked the whole way. Colombian PGA Tour winner Nicholas Echavarria joined for the latter half. The Latin American Amateur champion and future Masters participant, Argentine Mateo Pulcini, made an appearance to cheer on another Arkansas Razorback. The Latin American golf community was alongside Marin as she had her Augusta National moment, and you could hear and see the proof the whole way. Marin knew the responsibility she was carrying on Saturday. She used it as fuel. “I have a lot of friends and little kids in my country club that just say, I want to be like you someday,” Marin said Friday, knowing she’d start the final round a stroke back. “That makes me want to tear up a little, because it means that I’m doing good things, that this whole process is just amazing, and all the hours that I put in on the range are working out.” Composure and confidence defined Marin’s victory as her competitor succumbed to the treachery of Amen Corner. She looked up at the analog scoreboard for the first time on No. 15, realizing that Talley’s score was knocked from 13-under to 9-under after just the 12th hole. The par-3 was where Marin’s ball miraculously stayed dry — it hung on the steep bank that leads to the water surrounding the shallow putting surface. The moment had shades of Fred Couples on the same hole in 1992, on his way to a Masters win. “I’ve never seen a ball stay there, and I think it was just God holding the ball there, like, don’t move,” Marin said. “This is happening for something.” Marin went on to make a birdie on No. 13, a bogey on No. 15, and a bounce-back birdie on No. 16 to come in with a back-nine 35. No one could catch her — not even Stanford standout Andrea Revuelta, who started getting hot and posted a final-round 68 as well. Marin walked the Augusta National fairways alongside local firefighter Darren Woo, who also caddies at Champions Retreat, the site of the first two rounds of the ANWA. Marin hired Woo after her father, Jose, decided to step aside for this tournament. He had caddied for his daughter in last year’s ANWA, but admitted to his daughter that he simply wasn’t equipped to support her on the course in the way that she needed. Marin met Woo in a practice round and immediately knew they’d be a good fit. “I think it was one of the most beautiful decisions that (my dad) could have ever made because he was totally selfless,” Marin said. “He was like, I know that you need someone else, but I’m going to be there supporting you.” Marin is familiar with the pressure that comes with chasing a victory like this. The 2025 SEC Player of the Year, Marin won the NCAA individual championship by two strokes last June and is coming off a victory at the Clemson Invitational just last week. A native of Cali, Colombia, Marin picked up the game when her father, a successful amateur golfer, put a club in her hand when she was 2. She grew up traveling around South America, playing the Colombian junior circuit in the hopes of playing in college someday. Marin wrote a letter to the Arkansas head coach, Shauna Taylor, and she was the first coach to call her back. They instantly hit it off, and Taylor visited Cali to solidify the relationship. “Her dad’s like, what? Arkansas? Where’s that?” Taylor said on Golf Channel’s Live From on Saturday morning. Marin’s game took off when she arrived. She matured in her course management decisions, learning not to fire at every pin. She figured out how to control her emotions and adrenaline during tournaments, including managing her breathing during Saturday’s final round. Marin climbed up to No. 7 in the women’s amateur golf rankings. Now she holds two of the amateur game’s most prestigious titles at once, the NCAA title and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.