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

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

AUGUSTA, 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.