After Maria Jose Marin’s emphatic ANWA win, scene 1 told the story
Maria Jose Marin’s only blemish at Augusta National came after she was out of the best field in women’s novice golf on Saturday.
The Arkansas star, who won the NCAA title last summer, connected a two-inch par putt on the 18th hole to seal her Augusta National Women’s Amateur title and immediately ran to find her family. There’s no running at Augusta National, but for Marin, they’re going to do something different after he went 65-69 at the Champions Retreat and won it with a 68 at Augusta National to beat Stanford’s Andrea Revuelta by four.
“When that last point sunk in, I just thought to myself, I’m done,” Marin said after his win. “All my hard work has paid off, and I’m very proud of myself.”
Marin and his parents had discussed the night before that, if he won, they would come out to the 18th green to welcome them after his moment of glory. Maria Jose Marin ran and hugged her father, mother, and 10-year-old brother as the Augusta National crowd cheered on their new champion.
Her father, who had worked for ANWA for her last year, stepped down from the bag so that his daughter could find someone to help her cope with the pressure that comes with trying to be a champion. this place. It was a self-sacrificing decision that led to the history Maria Jose Marin took on Saturday.
“He said he needs someone who knows him. I love him with all my heart, but he needs someone who knows how to handle a competition of this level. I think it was one of the best decisions he ever made because he didn’t tell himself completely. He was like, I know he needs someone else, but I’ll be there to support you.”
But the emotional coronation of Maria Jose Marin 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 alone. He has an entire extended family trying to get him to the place where his dreams live. And they were all there at Augusta National to make history.
After celebrating with her parents, Marin walked up to the finish line and was caught by Arkansas coach Shauna Taylor, teammates Reagan Zibilski and Sara Brentcheneff and Arkansas alum and ANWA runner-up Maria Fassi.
“I left when I was 18, I put it in my mind,” Marin said at Butler Cabin. “What was the time going to be? Having Maria there, she inspired me very, very much. When she was playing with Jennifer Kupcho [at the 2019 ANWA]that really inspired me. And to do it in front of them, it’s good.”
“It’s everything I dreamed of.”
Marin started his first day shooting Asterisk Talley at the age of 17. He birdied the par-5 second but gave it back with a bogey at the third. Marin closed the front 9 with birdies on 5, 7 and 9, but Talley showed no signs of following him.
Marin birdied 10 and 11 to stay one behind Talley and then reached the par-3 12th facing a clear shot. The “Golden Bell” has thrown away a number of would-be champions over the years. It’s a place where dreams die if you don’t have the right club and a dedicated stroke.
Marin looked into the air and sent his ball into the air for Amen’s Corner. But his shot hung in the air and landed near the green, starting back toward Rae’s Creek. There have been countless times in Masters history when a shot like Marin’s has ended up in a watery grave. But Marin’s ball somehow stopped rolling and hung high. He continued to maintain par, and when Talley made a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th behind him, he had a three-shot lead.
“When my ball landed there — I think it’s a miracle that my ball landed there,” Marin said. “I have to fix it and get out of here because this only happened once.
“The ball lands on the 12. I’ve never seen the ball land there, and I think it was just God holding the ball there, like, don’t move. This is for something.”
A birdie at 13 gave her four shots, and when she birdied the par-3 16th, all that was left was for Maria Jose Marin to walk away and become the first Colombian champion in the history of Augusta National.
It was a win she will carry with her for the rest of her life, and she hopes it will inspire the next generation of Latin American girls to reach for the stars.
“I can only say to dream big,” said Marin. “Never give up on your dreams. I never thought I’d be here right now, but it’s because of all my hard work and patience and the love I have for this game.
That is a rare gift for ANWA. A tournament that allows the best female players in the game to dream of something that, until 2019, was not possible, and gives them the opportunity to raise the next generation on their shoulders – that your win can be someone else’s win down the line.
And in the case of Maria Jose Marin, the victory at Augusta National can be for all those who help you get to where your heart always wants.
“I’m very proud of myself and all the hard work and the ability I’ve had to overcome all the pressure because I’ve been successful in this area,” said Marin. “I don’t think you’ll ever feel like explaining it, it’s just magic.
“This is the temple of golf, and to get this win, it’s amazing to me.”
