Maria Jose Marin’s lone mistake at Augusta National came long after she withdrew from the best field in women’s amateur golf on Sunday.
The Arkansas star, who won the NCAA individual title last summer, hit a two-inch par putt on the 18th hole to cement it. Augusta Women’s National Amateur title and immediately ran to find her family. There is no competition at Augusta National, but in Marin’s case, they will make an exception after she went 65-69 at the Champions Retreat and capped it with a 68 at Augusta National to beat Stanford’s Andrea Revuelta by four.
“When the last shot sank, I just thought to myself, well, I did it,” Marin said after her win. “All my hard work has paid off, and I’m extremely proud of myself.”
Marin and her parents had discussed the night before that, if she won, they would be right on the 18th green so she could hug them after her moment of glory. Maria Jose Marin ran and immediately hugged her father, mother and 10-year-old brother with the Augusta National crowd still serenading its newest champion.
Her father, who caddied for her at last year’s ANWA, dropped the bag so his daughter could find someone to help her navigate the pressure that comes with trying to become a champion in this place. It was a selfless decision that was a catalyst for the historic moment that Maria Jose Marin brought about on Sunday.
“He said, you need someone who knows. I love you with all my heart, but you need someone who knows how to manage a tournament of this level. I think it was one of the best decisions he could have ever made because he was completely selfless. He was like, I know you need someone else, but I’ll be there to support you.”
But Maria Jose Marin’s emotional coronation did not end there. In fact, it was just the beginning.
Because Maria Jose Marin didn’t make it to the winner’s circle at Augusta National by herself. She has an entire extended family trying to get her to where her dreams reside. And they were all there at Augusta National to make it history.
After celebrating with her parents, Marin stepped up to the rope line and was mobbed by Arkansas coach Shauna Taylor, her teammates Reagan Zibilski and Sara Brentcheneff and Arkansas alum and ANWA runner-up Maria Fassi.
“Walking up to 18, I pictured it in my mind,” Marin said in the Butler booth. “What was the moment going to be like? Having Maria there, she inspired me so, so much. When she played with Jennifer Kupcho (at ANWA 2019), it was really inspiring for me. And to do it in front of them, it’s great.”
“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of.”
Marin started the day when a shot against 17-year-old Asterisk Talley. She birdied the par-5 second, but gave it right back with a bogey at the third. Marin closed out the front nine with birdies on 5, 7 and 9, but Talley was showing no signs of shaking behind her.
Marin birdied 10 and 11 to stay one behind Talley and then arrived at the par-3 12th facing a deciding shot. The “Golden Bell” has punished many would-be champions over the years. It’s a place where dreams die if you don’t have the right club and a perfect shot.
Marin controlled the wind and sent her ball into the air at Amen Corner. But her shot hung in the air and landed near the green, again starting to flow toward Rae’s creek. There have been countless moments in Masters history where a shot like Marin’s ends up in a watery grave. But Marin’s ball somehow stopped rolling and wound up on the crest. She continued to save and when Talley made a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th behind her, she suddenly had a three-shot lead.
“When my ball stayed there — I think it’s a miracle that my ball stayed there,” Marin said. “I have to do something about it and get out of here because this only happens once.
“The ball rests on that ridge on 12. I’ve never seen a ball rest there, and I think it was just God holding the ball there, how can it not move. It’s happening for something.”
A birdie on the 13th gave her a four-shot lead and once she birdied the par-3 16th, all that was left was for Maria Jose Marin to follow her destiny and become the first Colombian champion in Augusta National history.
It was a victory that she will carry with her for the rest of her life, and one that she hopes will inspire the next generation of Latin American girls to reach for the stars.
“I can just say dream big,” Marin said. “Never give up on your dreams. I never, ever thought I’d be here right now, but it’s just because of all my hard work, my perseverance and the love I have for the game.”
This is it the rare gift of ANWA. It’s a championship that allows the best female amateurs in the game to dream of something that, until 2019, wasn’t a possibility, and puts them in a position to push the next generation on their shoulders – that a win for you could be a win for someone else down the line.
And in Maria Jose Marin’s case, an Augusta National victory can be a victory for everyone who helped you get to the place your heart always wanted.
“Just extremely proud of myself and all the hard work and ability I had out there to overcome all the pressure to win this place,” Marin said. “I don’t think there will ever be a feeling to describe it. It’s just magical.
“This is the temple of golf, and just to get this win, it’s amazing to me.”
