Tears and Triumph at the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur

Amen Corner remains undefeated. Golden Bell, the most famous par 3 in golf, claimed Asterisk Talley as its latest victim on Saturday at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. What looked like a runaway win became a horror show in a matter of minutes. The series of events spun out of control so quickly yet somehow stretched on excruciatingly long. 

After coming out of the gates hot with three birdies in her first four holes, Talley made her first bogey of the tournament on the 11th and walked her way up the hill to the 12th tee box. Looking to get things back on track, the following sequence played out for Talley: a misjudgement of the wind off the tee, a poor shot from the back bunker into Rae’s Creek, a head-scratching choice to take her drop back into the bunker, another bunker shot into the water, and finally, mercifully, an up and down from the other side of Rae’s Creek to end the nightmare. 

Count it all up and a quadruple bogey 7 took Talley from cruise control to off the rails. There would be no clawing back, no last second heroics. Just a painful second nine that left the teenager from Chowchilla, California, struggling to make sense of it all. 

“I'm just a little emotional,” explained Talley, teary eyed after finishing up her round, “not only because I didn't get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive. It's hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted.” 

When asked specifically about what occurred on the 12th, Talley admitted in hindsight that taking her drop in the bunker wasn’t the best choice.

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Talley now has three top-10 finishes at ANWA in as many appearances, and despite the hurt of today’s second nine 42, she showed a maturity well beyond her 17 years speaking about what she’ll take away from the experience. “It's a gift from God to walk this course,” Talley said through more tears, “and I think I'm just so blessed to be here. It just wasn't my day today, but it's okay. This definitely does not define me today. I still see myself as a good player, and I'm excited to get after it.”

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The beneficiary of Talley’s mess was Colombian Maria Jose Marin. Just minutes before, she misjudged the swirling winds at 12 as well. Thinking the wind was at her back, she was well short off the tee, but somehow her ball stayed dry. Marin took advantage of the good fortune, made her par, and tacked on a birdie at the 13th to escape Amen Corner unscathed. 

Unaware that she had gone from one down to four up in the blink of an eye, when she did take a peek at where she stood, it almost cost her. “The first time that I saw the leaderboard was actually on hole 15, and I think I should not have looked at it,” laughed Marin. Her third shot, a wedge from the left side of the fairway, flew well past the pin, leaving her one of the scariest pitches at Augusta National. 

Marin credits her caddie, local firefighter Darren Woo, for resetting her after missing the green. Woo only met Marin a few weeks ago when she and her University of Arkansas teammates scouted Champions Retreat, where Woo caddies part-time. The two connected, but Marin had always had her dad on the bag in her past ANWA appearances. As Marin explained it, “He decided this year that he can't be on the bag. He said, ‘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.”

After two low rounds at Champions Retreat, Marin decided to keep Woo on the bag for Saturday. It was his first time ever caddying at Augusta National. 

“With Mr. Darren, I think he was my greatest support during the whole week and a key to the victory. [He] told me, just breathe. Stay calm. You're fine. We have a strategy for this. Especially on hole 15, just trying to walk off with a bogey and nothing worse.”

That’s exactly what Marin did, taking a three-shot lead to the 16th. A perfectly executed 7-iron at the par 3 rolled out to a couple feet, giving Marin one more birdie and even more cushion for the final two holes. When her work was finished on the 18th and the victory secured, a boisterous celebration ensued with her family, coaches, and teammates. 

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Marin now gets the privilege of calling herself one of Augusta National’s champions. Her 14-under finish is the lowest total score in ANWA history and just the second time a player has posted three rounds in the 60s. The weight of the accomplishment was only just settling in. “I don't think there's ever going to be a feeling to describe it. It's just magical,” explained Marin. “This is the temple of golf, and just getting this win, it's amazing for me.”