Even if you normally don’t follow women’s golf, I’d encourage you to invest a few minutes getting to know María José Marin.
I knew nothing of José Marin until she won this year’s Augusta National Woman’s Amateur Championship, which plays its final round at Augusta National the week prior to the Master’s. Now I know she is ranked No. 2 in women’s college golf, a two-time All-American, and the sixth-ranked amateur in the world.
But that doesn’t tell you much about who she is. For that, watch her play and listen to her in interviews. Here’s what you will see, hear, and feel almost immediately: Joy. Pure joy.
Frankly, we all need more joy as we navigate the daily grind of leadership. And the more I learned about José Marin, the more I realized she is a great example of how humble, joyful leaders can still crush the competition.
José Marin, who has won five tournaments in her college career and finished in the top 10 in nine of 10 college events in 2025-26, will cap her junior season at the University of Arkansas next week by defending her NCAA title at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
What’s interesting to me about her approach is that she is focused and competitive but still able to enjoy the moment while playing a game in which a bad bounce, a bad lie, a bad gust of wind, or a bad swing can send you tumbling down the leaderboard and into the sandpit of sorrow. (Trust me, I’ve been there!)
Tough times are inevitable in golf, just as in leadership, and José Marin has experienced her share of them. In fact, she had played in the ANWA three other times but only broke 70 once in those eight rounds. And she failed to make the cut for the finals in 2025. But those types of outcomes are learning opportunities, she said, not joy-stealers.
No matter the outcome of a shot, José Marin doesn’t hide her emotions, but she rarely let’s those emotions affect her next swing.
Off to practice this right now… https://t.co/bakpiDdKTM
— Walt Rakowich (@WaltRakowich) April 10, 2026
“I give a lot of reactions out on the course, and I was having so much fun that last round,” she said of her expressive moments in the ANWA. “I think it’s just part of my personality. Every time I hit a good shot, you can see it on my face. And when I hit a bad shot, you can see it on my face. That’s been part of my personality since I was little. That’s basically how my parents know how I’m doing – by the reactions.”
José Marin had to scramble to save par a few times and once to save bogey, noting that there were holes where she “had to take my medicine.” But she also recorded six birdies, including one on the iconic par-3 No. 16 hole that gave her a four-shot lead with two holes to play. Then after coming up just short on a long putt for birdie on No. 18, she tapped in for par with her family, UA teammates, and coaches roaring their approval.
“I felt like I was in a movie – looking at the finals of the Master’s and walking up the fairway with all the people clapping and standing up,” she said. “It’s a mind picture that’s just going to stay there forever. … And for my family to be there to experience that, my heart is completely full.”
Never miss a post about leadership, transparency, and trust by signing up for my weekly mailing list, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here.
José Marin stands only five-feet tall, but her smile seemed to stretch at least five-feet wide during post-tournament interviews and appearances that went on for several days after her victory.
My favorite moment came at Butler Cabin during the official ANWA trophy presentation. She answered several questions from Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, and NBC’s Mike Tirico, and then Ridley handed her the large silver cup. The interview was over, but she couldn’t hold back four unsolicited words.
“This is so pretty,” she said.
“It is pretty,” said Tirico. “It’s yours now.”
A commitment to excellence and a competitive spirit, of course, are essential to the type of success José Marin is having in golf. But couple those qualities with humility and joy and you get a true champion – someone who preservers through the bad shots, appreciates the good shots, and shows gratitude for the experience. That’s something we all should remember, especially the next time we shank one in the game of leadership.
