Maria Jose Marin has been garnering all the attention at the Champions Retreat Golf Club this week. As one of the rapidly rising stars, she could pose a threat to established LPGA professionals like Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul in the near future. But before that happens, let’s get to know Marin a little bit better.

Who is Maria José Marín, and where is she from?

Born on July 17, 2006, Maria Jose Marin is a golf prodigy who has been representing Colombia in international events for the past few years. After attending the renowned Gimnasio La Cumbre school in her birthplace, Santiago de Cali, Colombia, the Latin American teenager moved to the USA to attend one of the strongest collegiate golf programs in the country. But did she manage to rack up any significant wins?

Maria Jose Marin’s junior and amateur career

Marin was racking up wins even before she began her collegiate career. She won the South American Girls Championship and the R&A’s Women’s Amateur Latin America in 2021 and 2022.

She even represented Colombia at several events and bagged the silver at the 2022 World Junior Championships, a gold in the 2022 Asunción Individual, and bronze in Asunción’s team event. The same year, she became the runner-up at the World Junior Girls Championship and a finalist in the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

But it was in 2023 when Marin came under the spotlight. After all, she became the first-ever Latin American golfer to make the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur after winning the 2023 Mexican Women’s Amateur by four strokes. And with more than 25 amateur and junior wins, she enrolled at the University of Arkansas to study accounting.

How did Maria Jose Marin perform in her collegiate career?

As an integral part of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Marin played 10 tournaments with 30 rounds in her freshman year. Her strength on the golf course backed her up as she was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and made it into the Golfweek Second Team All-American, WGCA First Team All-American, and the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Her first collegiate win came at the 2023 Blessings Collegiate Invitational. Therein, she set a tournament record of going 10-under and broke that as a sophomore with an 11-under performance. But later, as a sophomore, she became the 2025 NCAA individual champion after shooting a 12-under 276.

Some of her other significant wins include the 2025 Women’s Amateur Latin America, the 2025 South American Women’s Amateur, and the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic. And this time, Marin secured the first victory of the collegiate season with a win at the Clemson Invitational.

Through her collegiate career until now, Marin has recorded her lowest round of 65 at the NCAA Championship. Her lowest tournament record came with a score of 205 at the Carmel Cup in 2023. And that made her the number seven golfer on the WAGR and the number one on the scoreboard in the Clippd National Collegiate Golf Rankings. But what about the Augusta National Women’s Amateur?

What’s the 19YO’s stance at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur? 

After making her maiden appearance at Augusta National at the age of 16, she finished T30 in 2024. However, she failed to make the cut in last year’s event. But this time, she’s coming in strong and has hit a bogey-free seven-under 65 on Wednesday at Champions Retreat.

Reflecting on her stance on the ANWA 2026, she said, “I think I can build a really good strategy around this place, and I think that’s what I did, along with my coach and my dad. We talked about it yesterday a lot, and yeah, they just told me, ‘You know the place, you know what you’re doing, just trust yourself, trust your game, and yeah, just be you.’”

The 19-year-old acknowledged that the ANWA is made up of 72 of the best players in the field. And every single one of them is a strong contender with only one objective in their mind—winning the tournament or going to Augusta.

She continued, “It just means that my game is in a good spot, that I’m doing the right things, and that I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Currently, she’s sharing the lead in the opening rounds at Augusta National Women’s Amateur with the 17-year-old Soomin Oh. Marin closed the round with a couple of birdies in the final two holes. That’s certainly an improvement if we look at the missed cut last year. And trailing just one shot behind them is last year’s runner-up, Asterisk Talley.

But what stands out for Marin is her consistency across the continents. And that reduces the usual uncertainty seen in young players. If her progression continues at this rate, she is a near-certain future LPGA winner, not just a participant. But for now, let’s see if she can win the 2026 ANWA.