The leaderboard at Augusta National Women's Amateur was turned on its head in a tumultuous final round on Saturday as a dramatic back nine hinged on an six-shot swing in a 15 minute period.
That pesky 12th hole at Augusta proved the sticking point once again, with Asterisk Talley falling apart at that stage with a quadruple bogey and allowing Maria Jose Marin to ascend to the top of the board.
Teenage sensation Talley went into the final day with a one stroke lead at 11-under after a flawless display over the first two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club. But, she was caught, rather comprehensively in the end.
Talley had enjoyed two bogey-free rounds prior to Saturday, and went 10 further holes without a blemish on her scorecard.
However, it all went wrong on the 11th hole with a bogey for the 17-year-old American, and things didn't get any better from there on out.
On the par-3 12th — the hole that has tripped up so many top golfers in years gone by — Talley lost her grip on the leaderboard entirely.
A quadruple bogey spelled the end of her title charge, and allowed Marin to climb to the top. Talley would go on to bogey the 15th and double bogey on 16 to finish three over par for the day and end up tied for fourth on eight-under.
As for Marin, a -4 for the day was enough to take her to -14 for the week. That's a new record for the Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA), beating the previous best by two strokes.
Talley's collapse made things far simpler for Marin, who clearly smelled blood and locked in to put together a confident and assured performance on the back nine to seal her victory.
Spaniard Andrea Revuelta put up a strong fight, with birdies on the 11th, 12th, and 13th to chase down the leader. It was too little, too late, though, with Revuelta finishing four behind the winner.
María José Marín set a new scoring record for the Augusta National Women's Amateur, besting the previous record by two strokes. #ANWAgolf pic.twitter.com/uQCS9y6ikAApril 4, 2026
Soomin Oh was solo third, with an overall score of -9 after scoring four-under for the day. Talley's tie for fourth saw her level with Yunseo Yang, Kiara Romero, Raegan Denton, and Meja Örtengren, who also suffered on the final day.
For Marin, it's a landmark triumph that opens serious doors for her in the women's game. Winning the ANWA secures her entry in the next five events there running through to 2031, as well as an exemption to the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, the AIG Women’s Open, the Chevron Championship, and the Evian Championship. She'll also be allowed to play in any USGA, R&A and PGA of America amateur championships for which she is eligible.
There is no prize money for ANWA, but Marin will gain crucial World Amateur Golf Ranking points and two LPGA LEAP points, which will nudge her closer to earning her LPGA Tour card.
