48 of the top 50 players in the world will be on the pitch. The 19-year-old Colombian always finished the three laps under 70. Second was the Spanish Revuelta
Winner number seven of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur comes from Colombia. Maria Jose Marin, nineteen years old, had to hole out from a few centimeters on the last green for a crushing victory on the strongest field ever, with 48 of the top 50 players in the world on the field. A long hug to the family and a walk through the crowd towards the club house hand in hand with his ten year old brother. The Colombian player was the only one in the field to have closed the three rounds under 70 (the final score was 202, 65-69-68) with a triumphal march in the final holes between balls always in the flag and many putts holed: 14 strokes under par and a four-shot margin over the second, the Spanish Andrea Revuelta, for a score that is also a record of the tournament. Thanks to three days of sun, heat and little wind.
without blue
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Behind the open smile that accompanies her during the game, Maria Jose Marin has already had the opportunity to demonstrate uncommon tenacity, winning the NCAA Division I women’s individual for the University of Arkansas last May; she successfully defended the South American Women’s Amateur in Chile, won the Women’s Amateur Latin America and made the cut in two majors on the American professional tour. Dramatic ending, however, for the seventeen-year-old Californian Asterisk Talley, who came close to success last year but was just one shot short. In the lead after the first two rounds played at Evans’ Champions Retreat, she was literally stunned by the 7 she scored on the difficult 12th hole (par 3) in the haunted Amen Corner of Augusta National. For the first time in the history of this dream tournament, no blue jersey on the field, where Italy has been from the start and has also led the international contingent in terms of number of athletes (over 20 countries represented), second only to the United States: four blues present in the 2019, even five in 2021. Nine girls have gained access to this tournament so far, for a total of 16 participations. The best placing was that of Benedetta Moresco, fourth in 2022 and now a professional. The only Italian presence was that of Gaia Zonchello (first female referee of the DP World Tour) among the referees.
