AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 1, 2026

Maria Jose Marin

Quick Quotes

Q. 65, great performance today. This is your fourth appearance at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. What makes you better equipped to capitalize on this year than maybe in your first appearance at the Augusta National Women's Amateur?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: I think this being my fourth year, I kind of know more about the course, how are the conditions, how it's going to play. I think I can build a really good strategy around this place, and I think that's what I did, along with my coach and my dad. We talked about it yesterday a lot, and yeah, they just told me, you know the place, you know what you're doing, just trust yourself, trust your game, and yeah, just be you.

Q. Now, it is your fourth time. Do the nerves ever go away? For someone that has as much experience as you do, do the nerves ever go away?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: I don't think the nerves ever go away. This tournament matters a lot to a lot of -- well, to all of the players and to me especially it matters a lot. When something matters to you, I think being nervous, it's totally fine. Especially knowing that playing a round at Augusta National is in the back of your mind, they're not going anywhere.

Q. Last night, player dinner, how special was that even though it's your fourth time?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: The chairman's dinner, it's amazing. We get a little bit of an insight of what Augusta is, not playing golf there, just getting to talk to the green jackets and getting to see the clubhouse and eating the amazing food because the food is amazing. Yeah, just being in a place that has so much history, it's great.

Q. On your birdies today, is there one you're most proud of, a putt you made?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: One of the birdies that I think was great, it was here on hole 9. I think it's a pretty strategic pin, and I attacked it perfect. It's one of the birdies that I'm most proud of.

Q. How long was your putt?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: My putt was like around eight feet.

Q. When you look at everybody that's out here, to be atop the leaderboard right now, what does that mean for you?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: It means a lot because this tournament is the 72 best players in the world, and everyone is good here. Everyone comes with the same objective in mind; it's to win or to go to Augusta. Yeah, it just means that my game is in a good spot, that I'm doing the right things, and that I've got to keep doing what I'm doing.

Q. What's the plan for tonight?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: For tonight, I think I'm going to have a nice dinner with my parents, with my family, with my friends, and just relax and think about what it's going to be tomorrow.

Q. After last year when you didn't make the cut, did you feel it was really important to get off to a good start today?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: I feel like last year gave me a lot of -- it was a lot of learning. There was a lot of tears, and of course this tournament means a lot to me. Not making the cut, it hurt a lot.

But I learned that I've got to stay with my two feet on the ground, that I have to be really patient with my game, that if things are not going my way, I don't have to push it, that I just have to wait for golf to do its thing.

This start, it gives me a lot of confidence going into tomorrow, and heading into the final round we'll see what happens, but it gives me a lot of confidence.

Q. At some point during your round somebody came up to you and gave you a hug on the course. Who was that?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: Ooh, I gave a lot of hugs on the course. But it must be -- if it wasn't hole 18, it was my brother. My brother Emilio, he's the little one. I love him with my whole heart, and I'm really happy that he's here with me.

Q. How old is he?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: He's 10.

Q. So he's been growing up watching you do your thing. Is he into golf?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: Yeah, he's been playing since -- well, just playing around since he was like five, but he's now playing more seriously, and he's excited because he made it to the U.S. Kids, so he's pretty excited about that.

Q. Have you been able to give him any good advice through your years of playing golf?

MARIA JOSÉ MARIN: I think he's more of a grown-up now. He's now starting to get the strategic part of golf and into more serious golf. He asked me, he's like, sister, what do I have to do. I'm like, yeah, just be patient, enjoy what you're doing because that's one of the first things you've got to do always, enjoy what you're doing, and follow our dad, who's our coach.