María José Marín finally broke through at the Women’s Amateur Latin America Championship, winning a dramatic playoff at PGA Riviera Maya in Tulum, Mexico — and extending the University of Arkansas’ remarkable streak at the event to three straight titles.
The 19-year-old Colombian, a junior at Arkansas, carded rounds of 69-71-68-73 to finish at 7-under 281. She was joined by Barbados’ Emily Odwin (70-70-69-72), a senior at SMU, after Odwin rallied late to erase Marín’s four-shot lead over the closing stretch and force extra holes.Twice a runner-up in this championship, Marín refused to let a third slip away. After both players matched bogeys on the first playoff hole and pars on the second, the contest ended on the third extra hole when Odwin found the water from a greenside bunker. Marín safely made par to seal the biggest victory of her amateur career, triggering emotional celebrations with her Colombian teammates.
“Third time’s the charm,” she said with a laugh. “After two second-place finishes, I really wanted this one. It was an amazing week, and I’m just so happy it went my way.”
Her closing 73 came in hot, breezy conditions and included one of the shots of the week — a holed approach for eagle on the par-4 ninth. Ranked No. 2 on the AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings, Marín became the second Colombian champion after Valery Plata, and in doing so, extended Arkansas’ grip on the trophy: she is the third straight Razorback to win, following her teammate Clarisa Temelo (2024) and former Hog Ela Anacona (2023).
Odwin, ranked 22nd on the AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings and already the first Barbadian golfer ever to qualify for a major, finished runner-up for the second year in a row. “I left everything out there,” she said through tears. “María is phenomenal. She deserves it.”
Marín’s win continues her standout 2025 season, which already includes helping Arkansas capture the NCAA Division I Women’s Championship. Her victory now earns her places in three women’s majors in 2026 — the AIG Women’s Open, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship — as well as a spot in the Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield.
Colombia’s Luana Valero and Chile’s Amelia Ruiz Topali shared third at two under, while defending champion Temelo finished T-10.
This year’s championship featured its strongest field yet, with 60 players from 14 countries, and was elevated by the presence of Annika Sörenstam and Mexican legend Lorena Ochoa. Created by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation, WALA continues to shine as the premier pathway for Latin America’s rising women’s stars.