The little racehorse that could, Maria Jose Marin wins in late runaway at Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Maria Jose Marin’s 10-year-old brother, Emilio, walked every step of Saturday’s final round at Augusta National wearing a Masters backpack that was almost bigger than he was.
“The trophy will fit in here,” he said early on the second nine.
Surely, Emilio believed, his sister would do her part.
As Marin, the diminutive and bubbly 19-year-old from Cali, Colombia, approached the 18th green, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur all but in hand, a green-jacketed Annika Sorenstam plucked Emilio from outside the ropes, and with her arm around the boy, she ushered him to the front row. Soon, Emilio was surrounded by Maria’s band of supporters – her parents, Jose and Lorena; her instructors, Jorge and Hernan; her Arkansas coaches and a few teammates; and the rest of the nearly two dozen friends from Colombia, all of whom shared a house and nightly marathon dinners with the Marins this week. There were a few surprises, too – countryman Nico Echavarria, a three-time PGA Tour winner who followed the final nine holes; friend and last year’s ANWA champion, Carla Bernat Escuder; and Maria Fassi, Marin’s mentor, a Razorback alum and the inaugural ANWA runner-up seven years ago.
Fassi, also a frequent practice partner with Marin back at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas, flew in Friday night on a whim. Fassi has always been amazed at Marin’s ability to stick to her gameplan and block out everything going on around her, even on the biggest stages.
“She’s like a racehorse with blinders on,” Fassi said.
On Saturday morning, Marin exited the starting gates in the penultimate pairing, one shot back of 17-year-old phenom Asterisk Talley. By the time she reached the 14th tee, Marin wasn’t just five clear of the stumbling Talley but four ahead of her next closest pursuer. The seventh edition of the ANWA became a shocking runaway, and Marin’s 4-under 68 pushed her over the finish line at 14 under, four better than runner-up Andrea Revuelta.
“Extremely proud of myself and all of the hard work and the ability that I had out there to overcome all the pressure,” Marin said, “because winning at this place, I don’t think there’s ever going to be a feeling to describe it.”
There’s a reason some players have said they’d rather triumph at Augusta National than on the LPGA. Oregon head coach Derek Radley caddied for his wife on tour and argued that ANWA was “the biggest event, pro or amateur, ever.” So big that Radley’s superstar and world No. 1 Kiara Romero, who tied for fourth Saturday, admitted she “blacked out” on the first tee last year while teeing off in the final pairing.
Talley arrived at the tournament practice area more than two hours before her scheduled 11 a.m. starting time. The Stanford commit had captured each of her past three junior tournaments and was coming off a T-29 last Sunday at the LPGA’s Ford Championship, already her seventh professional start. Meja Örtengren, the Stanford sophomore who’d already won last summer on the Ladies European Tour, rounded out the final pairing. Everybody else was probably too far behind. Barring something crazy, this was effectively a three-horse race.
Until things got crazy, of course.
“What happened to Asterisk, I do not wish it to any golfer,” Marin said.
Asterisk Talley was in tears after failing to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. That’s when Bryson DeChambeau offered an encouraging talk.
Talley birdied three of her first holes, appearing destined for a dominant victory. But she stalled from there, only leading Marin by one when she turned at 14 under. Talley bombed a drive on the par-4 10th hole, causing her dad, Jim, a correctional officer, to utter, “Oh my.” Up ahead, however, Marin ignited the Latin patrons with a clutch par save. Vamos!
Two holes later, they gasped as Marin’s tee shot hung on the bank short of the par-3 12th green. She got up and down there as well, while Talley and Örtengren were each bogeying No. 11 within earshot.
“I’ve never seen a ball stay there, and I think it was just God holding the ball there, like, don’t move, this is happening for something,” Marin said.
Talley wasn’t so lucky. She grabbed 8-iron for the 155-yard shot, with no interest in flirting with Rae’s Creek. But the wind laid down, and Talley’s ball found the back bunker. She sent her first shot from the sand into the creek anyway, then decided to have her club caddie rake the trap so she could try again, only to replicate the first shot. Finally, she headed back across the Hogan Bridge and got up and down for a quadruple-bogey 7.
Talley later doubled the par-3 16th after rinsing her tee ball and sputtered to a closing 75 and T-4 finish at 8 under. She failed to hold back tears on the interview podium and again while receiving words of encouragement from fellow Northern California native Bryson DeChambeau, whom she’s known for over a decade as they used to share an instructor.
“I’m just a little emotional, not only because I didn’t get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive,” Talley said. “It’s hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted. I still played fine today even though that one hole just kind of got me.”
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 04: Asterisk Talley of The United States walks over the Hogan Bridge on the 12th hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 04, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
When Marin, standing in the 13th fairway some 190 yards away from the flag, didn’t hear clapping behind her, she alas broke from her gameplan. She loves laying up on par-5s, confident in her wedging ability to still make birdies – she played the first 15 par-5s this week in a combined 8 under, reaching most of them in three shots. But she was feeling the momentum, and she asked her caddie, local firefighter Darren Woo, for her 4-hybrid and exclaimed: It’s now or never, I’m going for it.
“It was perfect,” said Marin, whose audible paid off beautifully as she two-putted for birdie, which put her four up on Revuelta and Örtengren, who closed in 74 to also end at 8 under.
Woo, a 56-year-old father of five boys, wasn’t supposed to be on Marin’s bag. That role initially belonged to her father, Jose, a builder who also works in real estate. Even when business wasn’t great, Jose never worried about finding the money to fund his daughter’s budding golf career. In fact, when Maria, also a skilled ballerina and swimmer, would travel to junior tournaments around the world, Jose brought the whole family.
“Every tournament, I treated it like a reunion,” Jose said. “I never thought about how much it would cost. I wanted it to be a party when she played, like you saw today. As a father, you are willing to do everything for your kids, and Maria, she’s my little girl.”
This week it meant giving up the bag. At last year’s ANWA, Marin missed the cut, and Jose couldn’t help but realize that he wasn’t cut out to loop on this big a stage. Marin met Woo two weeks ago during a scouting trip to Champions Retreat, which hosts the first 36 holes. Instantly, Woo and his thick southern accent had a calming effect on Marin.
“His voice, I could meditate to it,” Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor said.
Before Marin could initiate the caddie change, Jose pulled her aside and said, “I love you with all my heart, but you need someone that knows how to handle a tournament of this level.”
“I think it was one of the most beautiful decisions that he 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.’”
Maria Jose Marin of Colombia reacts on the No. 13 hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 04, 2026.. (Photo by Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National/Getty Images)
Augusta National/Getty Images
Woo’s constant encouragement bolstered Marin:
Be confident.
You’re going to work it out.
Give yourself a chance.
Keep your head up.
Marin hadn’t looked at a leaderboard all day, but that changed after laying up on the par-5 15th.
“I should not have looked at it,” Marin said, able to laugh now.
Her adrenaline shot up, and with her usually trusty, 56-degree wedge in hand, she uncharacteristically flew her 80-yard pitch through the green.
“I think it was just a little bit of nerves,” Marin said. “I started doing actual math of what I had to do, how I had to finish. … Darren was the one who told me, ‘Just breathe. Stay calm. You’re fine.’”
Marin bogeyed the hole, just her third and last of the week, but bounced right back by sticking her next shot, a 7-iron that floated 160 yards, to a few feet and birdieing the par-3 16th to erase any doubt that may have been lingering.
Woo, who worked a 14-hour shift for the Savannah River Site Fire Department that ended at 7 a.m. Saturday, also has a granddaughter with two more grandchildren on the way.
“Maybe I’ll be lucky enough and have three granddaughters, and they can all grow up to be like Maria,” Woo said.
Echavarria remembers Marin showing up at his AJGA event in Colombia three years ago. He knew her resumé but was shocked to see how small she was.
“But then she strikes the ball, and it all makes sense,” Echavarria said.
Marin won that tournament and prior to Saturday had also collected 39 other victories recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking, including last year’s NCAA Championship and Women’s Amateur Latin America.
“Winning is what she was born to do,” Estes-Taylor said.
Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion Maria Jose Marin of Colombia walks hand-in-hand with brother Emilio during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 04, 2026.. (Photo by /Augusta National/Getty Images)
Augusta National/Getty Images
On the eve of Saturday’s final round, Marin walked with Jose from a player party at Berckmans Place inside Augusta National’s gates to dinner, where family and friends were already waiting. Even if briefly, Marin talked about what would happen if she won that next day. She then got her normal six hours of sleep – somehow, she had energy to spare by Saturday evening – and dreamed some more. Marin was just 12 years old when Jennifer Kupcho outdueled Fassi in a spearheading moment that left Marin inspired. Since that day, she’d always imagined what it would be like to be in their shoes.
On her walk to the 18th tee, Marin finally caught a glimpse of Fassi, who hadn’t planned on surprising her until afterward, and smiled. Woo then handed Marin 3-wood – that was the gameplan if she was leading by two or more – and she split one last fairway.
“I feel like I got to relive a little bit of what my story was here,” Fassi said. “Just with a way happier ending.”
When Marin’s par putt dropped at the last, she thought to herself, I made it. Moments later, Jose, Lorena and Emilio were embracing her in one, big hug. Echavarria said he had tears in his eyes, and he wasn’t alone. After a few dozen more hugs, Marin grabbed Emilio’s hand and together they walked through the sea of cheering patrons toward Augusta National’s classic clubhouse, the trophy ceremony soon to follow.
Emilio, his backpack still strapped on, would get his chance to see if he was right.
