AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 3, 2026

Maria Jose Marin

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming Maria Jose Marin to the interview room here at Augusta National.

Maria, you're one stroke back at 10-under par. After starting this championship with a 65 on day 1, you've put yourself in a great position heading into tomorrow's final round. What has worked well for you this week?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: Well, what has worked for me this week, it's just the amazing experience that it is to get to play along the best players in the world.

I mean, this week means a lot to me. I have my family here. I have some friends that are supporting me. Yeah, just being in a good position for tomorrow means a lot. Yeah, just going to enjoy the round tomorrow and play some good golf and enjoy the course.

Q. You're representing Colombia and all of Latin America here this week. What are you looking forward to most?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: Well, getting to represent Colombia and Latin America, it's always a great pride, and it's always going to be a great honor. I've been doing it since I'm pretty little, since I've been, well, 9 years old in different world championships and everything.

It just means, as I said, great pride to put the colors up in the leaderboard and to know that I have their full support.

Q. Can you talk about your process and ending up winning the Women's Amateur Latin America back in November, and how that experience can help you this week in the Augusta National Women's Amateur?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: So the week of the Women's Amateur Latin America was a pretty special week to me. In past years, in 2021, 2022 I was so close to making it. For some reasons -- well, golf -- I didn't end up winning. Well, this year was kind of like to prove myself that I was capable of doing that, and I worked a lot towards that tournament. All my preparation was towards that moment.

I think it's going to be kind of similar in terms of, like, feelings and everything, because this is way bigger than WALA, but just in the position that I was in in the Women's Amateur Latin America, yeah, getting to the playoff and everything, putting the same focus that I put on that moment and just translating into here.

Q. Whether it be that experience, whether it be NCAAs, making the cut in major championships, what golf experience has been particularly valuable to put you in the position that you are in? Are there specific examples with how your preparation has changed, how your mindset has changed, your physical play, more or less aggressive?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think that all my game has changed a lot and has grown a lot since I'm in college. Coach Shauna has helped me a lot, and Coach Mike has helped me a lot with my course management.

When I went to college, I used to go at every pin that I see and not really think about the risk, the risk/reward kind of situation. Now if I get it out of position, I try to give myself the best chance to make a par, or if I do a bogey, just that control of emotions has been key as well.

Yeah, all the work that I have done with my coach, Jorge Mesa, with my dad, with Hernan (phonetic), has worked a lot towards my swing.

Q. You mentioned representing Colombia. Obviously a lot of international players have that same privilege. But how do you balance the strength that it gives you to represent your country versus maybe extra pressure or obligation? How do you find that balance?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think finding the balance is key because, yes, I am representing a whole country. I have the whole Latin America watching me right now, but it's just I take that as, like, a motivation to do well. Yeah, just being a great representative to everyone that's watching me. As I've said, it's always a great pride to represent my country and, yeah, just to put the flag out there.

Q. When you won NCAAs last year, you had a one-shot lead going into the final round. I'm curious how much your strategy changes this tournament with going into tomorrow trailing by a shot now.

MARIA JOSE MARIN: Well, I think I'm going to take a lot of the experience of the NCAAs into here. I mean, I had a one-shot lead in NCAAs. Now I'm one shot back, but it's the same game plan. Try to keep calm, be really patient, just look for the opportunities that the course has to give me for birdies. If not, I can walk off with a par and be fine. I mean, pars work here really, really well.

So, yeah, just try to stay with my mind blank and thinking about what my strategy is and just sticking to it.

Q. How different did you feel compared with last year here, and what do you think made the difference?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think the difference with last year, I think, is my preparation towards and how my spring season turned out. I think I feel more consistent this spring season than last. I won early in the spring season last year, but then after that, I didn't have quite good results.

Now this spring season has been way different. I didn't get a win until last week, but I've been pretty consistent into the top 10s, and I feel my game is in a pretty good spot and, yeah, just growth a lot.

Q. I'm curious what your memory is from watching Maria Fassi in 2019. You've gotten to know her so well. What's your favorite memory just playing or practicing together at the Blessings?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: Well, with Maria I've had the great pleasure to share some great moments with her at the Blessings and get to share some practices with her.

Great memories I have of her -- a great match with Jennifer Kupcho. That was the first time. I think that was the first year of ANWA, and just the great sportsmanship that they both had, the great golf that they showed the whole world. Yeah, just how great she represented Mexico and whole Latin America in that final round.

Q. You're going to play three majors this year because you won the Women's Amateur Latin America. What are you looking forward to the most on those tournaments later this year?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: For the three majors, I'm looking forward to getting a lot of experiences, to see how my game is compared to what pro golf is. I think my future is looking pretty bright maybe into a professional career. So just getting a lot of experience from there, enjoying, because they're great chances to grow and have fun.

Q. Meja and Asterisk talked about the difficulty of playing on this course. I'm curious for you, you only had one bogey earlier at Champions Retreat, but for here in general when it comes to if something doesn't go right, you have a bogey or anything like that, what's your process like? Do you have breathing techniques that you do? Do you talk with your caddie? What's that process like for you?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think that I have a pretty good point when they mention difficulty out on this course. It's a very difficult course. As I said, you have to be pretty patient because sometimes the birdies are just not going to come and you have to be okay with pars.

If a bogey comes my way, I think I'm going to talk with my caddie. He's been pretty good in keeping me calm the whole week. I think it's been a key into my great game.

Yeah, just accepting that those things are going to happen and that I just got to keep my head up and keep with my strategy and playing good.

Q. You said a couple of times that you've changed your preparation a little bit. What has gone into that physically and mentally? What have you changed?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think physically just I've been putting more work into the gym. Well, the first time that I came here, I used to hit it a whole lot shorter than I hit it right now, so I think in terms of distance that has helped me a little.

Mentally just doing practices more focused on what I'm going to play at. So like here in ANWA, for Champions I'm going to have a lot of shots with my wedges, practicing that. For Augusta, I'm going to have a lot of lies, practicing that. Mentally just I think speaking to myself positively has been one of the greatest challenges, but I think I've done that well and it's working.

Q. You said that you want to inspire younger generations in Colombia and back home. I'm wondering, when you were growing up, who was that person, that role model, for you when you were playing golf, and how does it feel to actually be that for someone else now?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: Well, one of my role models while growing up was Maria Jose Uribe. She was in the LPGA Tour when I was younger. Just seeing her representing Colombia in this great event and while getting into the Olympics and just being in the top of leaderboards. And just the fact of being on the LPGA was a great inspiration to me and made me say to myself, I want to be there one day.

Well, that's what I aspire to do one day with younger generations. I have a lot of friends and little kids in my country club that just say, I want to be like you someday. I mean, that makes me want to tear up a little because it means that I'm doing good my things, that this whole process is just amazing, and all the hours that I put in on the range are working out.

Q. How much more comfortable do you feel on this golf course, Augusta National, compared to when you played a few years ago? What's been the biggest challenge of becoming more comfortable on this course?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think one of the biggest challenges the first time that you play Augusta, it's everything that's on your mind that you see on TV and all the expectation that you have from the course and just -- let's say, hole 16, when you see Tiger Woods chipping in from the back of the green, just like, oh, I want to play that shot, and just not playing really what you are going to play.

I think that's one of the biggest, like, changes that I made, well, on to this year's. Now my preparation changed a lot, and I'm giving myself more shots that I'm actually going to play and going to change the mindset a little of, yes, respecting the course, but being a little bit less scared of.

Q. That said, what is your favorite thing about this golf course, and what scares you a little bit about it?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: My favorite thing about this course is the views. I mean, it's I think one of the most beautiful courses that I've ever seen, and it's even greater live than on TV. Just the green complexity, I think it's one of a kind. You don't find it in any other course.

One of the things, it's not scary, it's more like you have to hit it really, really straight into, like, a target. I think there's no room for mistakes here. You have to be laser-focused on what you are doing, and you really got to stick to a strategy here. So there's no changes.

Q. What are the two things that you really have to do well tomorrow in order to win, and do you think you can do them?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: I think two good things I can do tomorrow in order to get a win, I think one is sticking to my game plan. I think I got a really good look of what the course is going to look like tomorrow. The greens might be a little bit faster. We never know, but yeah, just sticking to my game plan.

And two, once on top of the greens, I think just getting the speed right and, well, trying to make some putts. I think you win this tournament making putts. So, yeah, I think that's the two things.

Q. And can you do them?

MARIA JOSE MARIN: Can I do them? Well, I think making putts, it's going to be the result of sticking to my game plan. Being really smart on the pin positions and sticking to my game plan is going to allow me to have some putts that I might have hit today and getting the breaks right in order to make them.