AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) 鈥� Maria Jose Marin allowed herself to picture what it would be like to walk up the 18th hole as the first Colombian winner at Augusta National, and it was everything she dreamed.
Asterisk Talley never imagined the nightmare that helped make it possible Saturday in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Marin stuck to her plan of staying close until a moment that changed everything with shocking swiftness 鈥� her changing her mind and going for the green on the par-5 13th for a go-ahead birdie, and Talley adding to the sad history of collapses on the back nine at the home of the Masters.
鈥淚 just reminded myself that I had to stay really, really patient because anything can happen out here,鈥� Marin said after closing with a 4-under 68 for a four-shot victory. 鈥淲hen that last putt sank in, I just thought to myself, 鈥榃ell, I made it.鈥� All of my hard work has paid off, and I鈥檓 just extremely proud of myself.鈥�
Talley was devastated. The 17-year-old Californian twice went from the back bunker into Rae’s Creek for a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 12th hole. That allowed Marin to go from a tight contest to a five-shot lead.
Talley, who didn’t make her first bogey of the tournament until the 11th hole of the final round, shot 42 on the back nine for a 75 to finish six shots behind.
鈥淚鈥檓 just a little emotional, not only because I didn鈥檛 get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive,鈥� Talley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted. I still played fine today even though that one hole just kind of got me.鈥�
Marin, a junior at Arkansas, becomes the third NCAA champion to win at the home of the Masters, following Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang, and this one featured a shocker on the back nine.
Talley, who led by as many as four shots early, missed a short birdie chance on the 10th and a short par putt on the 11th to fall into a tie with Marin.
And then it all came undone.
Talley went long with an 8-iron into a back bunker on the 12th, the hole that ruined Jordan Spieth’s chances of a repeat Masters victory in 2016. She went at the right pin with a shot too strong, and the ball rolled off the front, down a slope and into the water. Talley decided to drop in the bunker, and then did the same thing again.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think going to the other side was the best option at the time,鈥� Talley said. 鈥淚 thought since we could rake the bunker, maybe we could get it to not be so hard. It was still the same after dropping. The same thing happened. Just couldn鈥檛 really get under the ball there.鈥�
Stunned, she took her next penalty drop on the other side of the water, pitched to about 8 feet and holed that for a quadruple-bogey 7.
鈥淧robably should have done that the first time,鈥� Talley said. 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 really think of that when you鈥檙e in the moment.鈥�
Marin had far better fortune on No. 12. Her shot came up short, and was close enough to the bunker that it stayed up on a small shelf of grass instead of rolling into the water. She saved par, and began to pull away with her two-putt birdie on the 13th and Talley’s big blunder on No. 12.
鈥淚 think it was just God holding the ball there,鈥� Marin said.
The last challenge for Marin came from Andrea Revuelta, who birdied Amen Corner to stay on the fringes of contention.
Marin finally saw a leaderboard showing her four shots ahead and said the adrenaline played a part in hitting a wedge over the green. She had to make a 5-foot putt for bogey, right after Revuelta narrowly missed an 8-foot birdie.
Marin hit 7-iron to 6 feet for her sixth birdie that put it away.
Revuelta closed with a 68 and was runner-up. Talley took a double bogey on the 16th 鈥� she played par 3s in 6 over on the back nine 鈥� and wound up in a five-way tie for fourth. Meja 脰rtengren of Sweden, playing in the final group with Talley, shot 74.
Marin set an Augusta National Women’s Amateur record at 14-under 202. The smile never left her face as she walked up the 18th green, raising her right hand when she tapped in for par. Among those who celebrated with her was Maria Fassi of Mexico, another Arkansas star who was runner-up in the inaugural tournament. Marin has called that moment a big inspiration.
Masters chairman Fred Ridley presented the trophy to her in Butler Cabin, and Marin held it aloft, smiled wide and said, 鈥淚t’s so pretty.鈥�
鈥淲inning in this place, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 ever going to be a feeling to describe it. It鈥檚 just magical,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is the temple of golf, and just getting this win, it鈥檚 amazing for me.鈥�
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