AUGUSTA, Ga. — Maria Jose Marin called Augusta National Golf Club a temple. Perhaps its fitting she believes God was holding her ball on the bank above Rae's Creek after she hit her tee shot on the par-3 12th hole.

Marin, a junior at Arkansas, still can't believe her ball didn't roll back into the water. She wanted to aim at the middle of the green. Her ball drifted right toward the pin. But it landed short and on the top of the bank. And somehow, it didn't roll back into the water.

Visit betsport24.es for more information.

"I think it's a miracle that my ball stayed there," Marin said. "I just kind of have to make par and walk away out of here because this just happens once."

Maybe her ball settled into a similar lie like Fred Couples' ball did in 1992. The end result was the same for both.

Marin won the 2026 Augusta National Women's Amateur on Saturday, shooting 4-under 68 and winning by four shots over Andrea Revuelta. Marin, who trailed by a shot when she stepped off the 12th green, was leading by four when she poured in a two-putt birdie on the 13th thanks in part to Asterisk Talley's 7 on the 12th.

Golden Bell has had its share of victims over the years, like Talley on Saturday or Jordan Spieth a decade ago, but it has also helped crown champions with breaks like Marin and Couples have gotten on the hole.

"One of the signs was the ball staying on that ridge on 12. I've never seen a ball stay there, and I think it was just God holding the ball there, like, don't move," Marin said. "This is happening for something."

Marin, ranked seventh in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, had no idea the meltdown that occurred behind her until she looked at the scoreboard above the grandstands on the 15th. She laid up, but her third shot on the par-5 15th went long, a product of elevated nerves after realizing she had a lead, and a big one at that, with only a couple holes to play. "I think I should not have looked at it," Marin joked. She was unable to get up and down for bogey, shrinking her lead to three.

On the par-3 16th, Marin hit her shot "exactly how she planned it," with the ball landing on the ridge and funneling down to the hole location also used in the final round of the Masters. Her coach at Arkansas, Shauna Taylor, let out a raucous cheer as the ball slowly worked it way back to a couple feet from the cup.

The ANWA was Maria's. All that was left was two holes to play.

"This tournament is always at the pinnacle of what we talk about and what she prepares for," Taylor said. "This is at the top of her goals. She spends every moment training to be ready for this."

And ready Marin was.

As she strolled up the 16th hole, the crowds send a cascade of cheers down to her, and she let out a smile with a wave, acknowledging them and what was happening. When she knocked in the birdie to get back to 14 under, she had two hands on the trophy. All she had to do was lift it up.

Marin's father, Jose, was on the back when she won medalist honors at the 2024 U.S. Women's Amateur. She reached the semifinals but had to withdraw due to injury, ironically in a match against Talley. Last year, he was also on the bag at Augusta National.

This year, he pranced on the outside of the ropes as Marin walked up 17 and was high fiving anyone who came close to him. When Marin's final putt dropped, she ran into his arms to celebrate.

"He's always been my role model," Marin said. "He's been by my side since I started playing golf. He was the one that taught me the love for this game. He decided this year that he can't be on the bag. He had the experience with me last year. He said, you need someone that knows. I love you with all my heart, but you need someone that knows how to handle a tournament of this level.

"I think it was one of the most beautiful decisions that he could have ever made because he was totally selfless. He was like, I know that you need someone else, but I'm going to be there supporting you."

Also waiting off the green was Maria Fassi, a fellow NCAA champion at Arkansas and good friend of Marin. Fassi has her own history at Augusta National, her great showdown with Jennifer Kupcho in 2019 helping set the bar for what the ANWA has become.

During their many conversations while practicing at the Blessings back in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fassi said Marin's superpower is staying in her own lane.

"On top of being an amazing person, she just knows how to mind her own business," Fassi said. "It doesn't matter what's going on around her. She knows how to focus, even in moments like this when the pressure is highest."

A fitting reward for María José Marín's magical week.#ANWAgolfpic.twitter.com/9jJlqo9CEk

— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 4, 2026

Marin joins Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang as reigning NCAA champions to win at Augusta National. The one thing she has the other two don't? A tournament scoring record of 14-under 202.

"I would say extreme happiness and just extremely proud of myself and all of the hard work and the ability that I had out there to overcome all the pressure because winning in this place, I don't think there's ever going to be a feeling to describe it," Marin said. "It's just magical."

Perhaps it's the same magic that kept her ball on the bank of Rae's Creek.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Maria Jose Marin wins Augusta National Women's Amateur 2026

Read full story at source

The convoy was stopped near Thiruvalli Chellithodu bridge while Shashi Tharoor was travelling to an election campaign event in Wandoor.

Visit truewildgame.online for more information.

Read full story at source