Maria Jose Marin’s Steady Play Seals NCAA Individual Championship

Maria Jose Marin capped off a stellar week with a poised performance on Monday, capturing the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf individual title at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. The Arkansas sophomore fired a final-round 69 to finish at 12 under, fending off late charges from several top contenders to become the third Razorback in program history to claim the national crown.

With the victory, Jose Marin joins elite company at Arkansas, following in the footsteps of Maria Fassi (2019) and Stacy Lewis (2007), two former Razorbacks who previously captured the individual title.

Jose Marin entered the final round with momentum after a bogey-free 65 on Sunday vaulted her to the top of the leaderboard. That seven-under round gave her a three-shot cushion heading into the final 18 holes, where she was paired with USC’s Catherine Park and Florida State’s Mirabel Ting—both three shots back at the start of the day.

From the outset on Monday, Jose Marin set the tone with a birdie on the opening hole and carried that rhythm throughout the front nine, turning in three under. Despite a single bogey on the par-4 13th, she maintained her composure and capped her round with a birdie on the par 5 18th to lock in her final score of 69.

Ting, ranked second among amateurs globally, mounted a serious challenge with a scorching 31 on the back nine. She climbed to within two shots of the lead, ultimately securing solo second.

Meanwhile, Stanford’s Kelly Xu briefly appeared poised to make a run, reaching 10 under through 11 holes. But a stumble on the back nine—including a bogey on 12 and a double bogey on 16—derailed her bid, and she settled for third place after carding a 71.

Jose Marin’s composed finish and clutch play under pressure sealed the championship, etching her name into NCAA golf history and solidifying her status as one of the rising stars in collegiate golf.