04/04/26 02:44:00
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04/04 14:42 CDT Maria Jose Marin wins Augusta National Women's Amateur after
Asterisk Talley meltdown
Maria Jose Marin wins Augusta National Women's Amateur after Asterisk Talley
meltdown
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) --- Maria Jose Marin of Colombia went from a tight battle
with Asterisk Talley to a runaway winner Saturday in the Augusta National
Women's Amateur, closing with a 4-under 68 for a victory made easier after the
17-year-old Talley collapsed on the back nine.
"It means the world to me," said Marin, who was crushed when she failed to make
the 36-hole cut last year to play a final round at Augusta National.
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 three shots early, made her first bogey of the
tournament on the tough par-4 11th, falling into a share of the lead with Marin.
And then it all came undone. Talley went long into a back bunker on the par-3
12th. 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 did the same thing again.
Stunned, the California teenager 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.
In the group ahead, Marin reached the par-5 13th and two-putted for birdie to
get to 14-under par, suddenly five shots ahead as Talley tried to regain her
composure.
The last challenge for Marin came from Andrea Revuelta, who birdied Amen Corner
to stay on the fringes of contention. On the par-5 15th, Marin chose to lay up
with a four-shot lead, but her third was well long, and her fourth shot up the
slope went to the front of the green. She had 5 feet for bogey, while Revuelta
had 8 feet for birdie.
Revuelta, who had reached the back collar of the green in two, missed and had
to settle for par. Marin made her bogey putt to stay three ahead, and the
19-year-old Colombian hit her tee shot to about 6 feet for birdie on the 16th
to put it away.
Revuelta closed with a 68 and was runner-up.
Talley took a double bogey on the 16th --- she played par 3s in 6 over on the
back nine --- and wound up with a 75 to tie for fourth, six shots behind. Meja
rtengren of Sweden, who played 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, "It's so pretty."
Marin, who started the final round one shot behind, fell three back with a
bogey on third hole. That was her last big mistake until the tournament was in
hand. She made a series of big par putts that kept her in range until Talley
fell apart.
Along with winning the NCAA last year, Marin won the Women's Amateur Latin
America. That puts her into three of the LPGA Tour's majors this year.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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