Third time was the charm for María José Marín. The Colombian, one of the great pearls of Latin American golf, has finally won the Women’s Amateur Latin America held this weekend at PGA Riviera Maya after a finale that had it all and a dramatic conclusion on the third hole of a play-off against Barbadian Emily Odwin.
The fifth edition of the WALA brought together its best historical lineup: 60 players from 14 countries, with Annika Sörenstam and Lorena Ochoa as special witnesses. The 19-year-old player arrived with a record of two runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022. For much of Sunday, it seemed that the story was finally going to close without a hitch. Marín built a four-shot lead boosted by a monumental eagle on the ninth, after holing her second shot from nearly ninety metres.
However, the finish was not for the faint-hearted. A bogey on the 17th and a mistake from the tee on the 18th left her with no margin just as Odwin pressed with two final birdies, forcing everything to be resolved in overtime.
In the first two extra holes (both on the 18th), Odwin came close to victory, especially in the first, where she missed a putt of just over a metre. The Colombian held on and, in the third round, on the tenth of the course, coolness prevailed: while Odwin sent her second shot into the water after missing the drive into the sand, Marín signed the par that gave her the victory.
The victory comes with a major reward. Marín, currently eighth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, earns a ticket to three ‘majors’ in 2026: AIG Women’s Open, Chevron Championship and Amundi Evian Championship. Additionally, along with Odwin and her compatriot Luana Valero, who is also qualified, she will be at The Women’s Amateur next year at Muirfield.
Marín already knows what it is to compete in a Major as she has played in the US Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Championship this year, but this victory grants the University of Arkansas player a 2026 full of showcases. After her individual victory this year in the NCAA National Championship, it seems that 2025 will be one she remembers for a long time.
