2026 Augusta National Women's Amateur Down to Three-Player Race

All 71 Augusta National Women’s Amateur competitors have completed their practice round at Augusta National. With the majority of the field at 6 under or higher and the largest comeback in ANWA history a mere two strokes, it would appear to be a three-horse race between Asterisk Talley (11 under), Meja Ortengren (10 under), and Maria Jose Marin (10 under). 

Here’s the case for why each player will come out on top, as well as a few other intriguing storylines leading into Saturday’s final round.

Why Asterisk Talley Will Win

The teenage phenom looked comfortable and in control at Champions Retreat. The bad news for Ortengren and Marin is that’s the exact same way she’s been in her previous final rounds at Augusta National. Talley now holds the best overall score at ANWA at 21 under, eclipsing the previous record of 15 under held by Lottie Woad. She’s got more of the same in mind, saying on Friday that going bogey-free is “definitely a goal of mine. It's going to be pretty tough at Augusta, but it's a goal that would be pretty nice to have.” Could playing in the final group fluster Talley? Perhaps, but nothing we’ve seen from her three years of ANWA experience so far gives any indication she won’t keep the pedal on the floor. 

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Why Meja Ortengren Will Win

The Stanford sophomore is playing in her fifth ANWA. It’s been feast or famine for Ortengren with two top-15 finishes last year and in 2022 and a pair of missed cuts in 2024 and 2023. Ortengren gave her putter credit for her T-2 standing. “I had a really good conversation with my coach, my swing coach from Sweden, about my putting, and we decided to change my target speed a little bit. I've rolled in a few more putts and a little bit less speed on the putts to kind of almost target a drip speed instead of hitting it like two feet past the hole.”

For Ortengren to top Talley and Marin, she’ll need the putts to keep dropping and will have to do something she hasn’t yet done at Augusta National: break par. She shot 76 last year and 72 back in 2022. 

Why Maria Jose Marin Will Win

Marin is playing almost as flawlessly as Talley, with just one lone bogey through 36 holes. She’s also missed just four fairways through the first two rounds. That level of accuracy off the tee should help her keep stress out of her final round. After a T-14 finish in her first ANWA appearance in 2023, Marin went in the wrong direction with a T-30 in 2024 and more of the same in a disappointing missed cut last year. On Saturday, she’ll be in the penultimate group, hoping to put pressure on Talley, something she did very well just last week when she won the Clemson Invitational with a final round 4-under 68 to come from three shots back. When asked Thursday about playing from behind, Marin said, “I do enjoy it a little bit more. I think it kind of releases a little bit of pressure.”

Other Storylines to Watch

Emily Odwin will make history by becoming the first person from Barbados to play a competitive round at Augusta National. Odwin has been a fan favorite this week. She’s balanced finding joy in the biggest event of her young career while playing well enough to make it to Saturday, where her history-making appearance will have even more of an impact. Odwin is paired with 2022 ANWA champion Anna Davis, making their early morning tee time one to watch.

Farah O’Keefe has made 12 birdies through the first two rounds. That’s the most in the field, but seven bogeys and a double have put too much space between her and the leaders to make a realistic push. If anyone’s going to post a low number, bet on O’Keefe, who came into this week the hottest player in college golf and has nothing to lose going for broke at Augusta National.

Canadians and Koreans have plenty to cheer on tomorrow. All three Canadians — Lauren Kim, Vanessa Borovilos, and Aphrodite Deng — and the Korean contingent of Gyubeen Kim, Soomin Oh, Seojin Park, and Yunseo Yang made the cut. That’s nearly a quarter of Saturday’s field and evidence of the never-ending depth of Korean talent and an impressive youth movement in Canada.