Maria Jose Marin follows in footsteps of Arkansas legends to win NCAA individual title CARLSBAD, Calif. – Maria Jose Marin enjoys when there’s pressure. Last year as a freshman, she shot four rounds under par in a T-4 finish at her first NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. Then she went into the summer and won medalist honors at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills and dominated her way into the semifinals of match play, where she had to withdraw because of an injury.
As a sophomore, her stellar play has continued, and coming to Omni La Costa, Marin was perhaps the star in the field most under the radar because she cooled off this spring. After Monday, she’s no longer going to be overlooked. Marin won the 2025 NCAA individual title, finishing at 12-under 276 for the biggest win of her college career and third of the season. She shot up the leaderboard Sunday morning, signing for 7-under 65, then backed it up with a 3-under 69 on Monday to polish off a two-shot win over Florida State’s Mirabel Ting. “I perform a little bit better under pressure because I know that I have what it takes to perform under those conditions,” Marin said. “Everyone knows that if you if you’re not nervous, it’s because you don’t care. Of course, I was really nervous out there, and I get really nervous, but I think I channel those nerves as something that can help me.”
Marin joins a pair of Arkansas legends in Maria Fassi (2019) and Stacy Lewis (2007) as Razorbacks to win the NCAA individual title. She also helped Arkansas earn the No. 6 seed for Tuesday’s match play quarterfinals, where the Razorbacks will face Northwestern. With a 15-footer for birdie on the final hole, Marin poured it in the hole to punctuate her winning round. Arkansas coach Shauna Estes-Taylor mentioned she spoke with Marin in the 18th fairway to tell her where she stood, but the final birdie putt only sealed her victory. “She works so dang hard, and she deserves it,” Estes-Taylor said. “She’s put in the work and really happy for her. I know she had a little bit of a lull in the middle of our spring, but she’s continued to work her butt off and put herself in a position today.
“If she’s got the lead, she’s a tough one to chase down.” Marin’s lead was as small as one in the final round, but she never wavered. She turned in 3 under, but a bogey after a short missed putt on the 13th slightly opened the door for the chasers. Ting had five birdies on the back nine to finish solo second, but a pair of bogeys on the front took away her chance to chase down Marin down the stretch. With the win, Marin also earned an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, which begins next Thursday at Erin Hills. “I didn’t know about the spot until Mirabel told me (during the round),” Marin said. “If I decide to play, it’s gonna be ‘wow.’”
Stanford set a record for lowest score in stroke play in NCAA history, finishing at 27 under and beating second-place Oregon by 21 shots. The Cardinal will be the No. 1 seed for match play for the fifth straight year and face Virginia, which snuck into the final spot. Monday was special for Marin, who cemented her legacy among the greats to come through Arkansas. Now, she’s one of them. “I think it’s no secret that Stacy is one of the biggest LPGA players that to ever exist,” Marin said. “To join her and Maria, it’s just wow. I’m proud of myself.” This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Arkansas’ Maria Jose Marin wins 2025 NCAA individual title at La Costa
