Tag: Maria José Marin

Maria José Marin earns first-team All-American honors as a freshman

Stacy Lewis the best golfer in Arkansas history. But she’s gonna have some company sooner rather than later.

Stacy Lewis is unquestionably the greatest golfer in Arkansas women’s golf history. Maybe in school history regardless of gender.

But if Maria Jose Marin keeps up what she accomplished in his freshman season, a legitimate debate can be had in three more years.

José Marin was named first-team All-American by the Division I Women’s Golf Coaches Association on Friday. She is just the 10th Razorbacks women’s golfer to earn first-team honors and the first since 2018-19

Only 11 golfers in the country were named to the first team. José Marin had previously been named to the All-SEC First Team and the All-Freshman Team. She was also previously named SEC Freshman of the Year. Her first season of college golf ended with her ranked sixth in the country and 20th among all amateurs in the world.

Next year, José Marin could become only fifth Arkansas women’s golfer in history to earn first-team honors twice. She would join Lewis, who is the only Razorbacks athlete to do three times, Maria Fassi (2017-18, 18-19), Gaby Lopez (2013-14, 14-15) and Emily Tubert (2010-11, 11-12).

In the the meantime, José Marin will play for Team International at the Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland in early July and she has also been invited to play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships in Tulsa in early August.

The Razorbacks capped the 2023-24 season as the No. 10-ranked team in the country after finishing 10th at the NCAA Championships.

Arkansas WGCA All-Americans

Kaylee Benton (Second Team – 2018-19)
Maria Fassi (First Team – 2017-18, 2018-19 and Honorable Mention – 2015-16)
Dylan Kim (Second Team – 2017-18)
Stacy Lewis (First Team – 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, Honorable Mention – 2005-06)
Gaby Lopez (First Team – 2013-14, 2014-15)
Amanda McCurdy (Honorable Mention – 2005-06)
Kelli Shean (Second Team – 2009-10 and Honorable Mention – 2010-11)
Emily Tubert (First Team – 2010-11, 2011-12 and Honorable Mention – 2012-13)
Alana Uriell (Second Team – 2017-18)

Arkansas golfer picks up third SEC honor…in her fourth tournament ever

In four tournaments, José Marin has been named league’s best frosh three times. That’s unreal, Stacy-Lewis territory.

Maria José Marin may just have a future in this sport called golf, eh?

José Marin, a freshman on the Arkansas women’s golf team, won her third SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week award on Wednesday. Impressive. What makes it wild, though, is that José Marin has played in only four tournaments in her entire collegiate career.

In other words, three out of every four weeks, no first-year golfer in the entire conference is outplaying José Marin. And, by the way, the three Freshman Golfer of the Week honors are the most by a Razorbacks golfer since someone named Stacy Lewis – only the best to ever do it in Fayetteville – won three in 2007-08.

José Marin picked up this week’s award after a dynamite showing at the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic. She shot a 1-under 215 in the three rounds, finishing in a tie for 16th out of the 90 golfers in the tournament. Her final round 67 tied a career best.

Arkansas won the tournament as a team after firing the lowest score of the weeked on the final day, a 276, which was the 12th lowest team round in school history.

José Marin and the Razorbacks are back at things Feb. 18-20 at the Moon Golf Invitational hosted by Louisville.

No. 1 Arkansas women’s golf team set to face loaded field in Texas

Freshman sensation Maria José Marin leads the Razorbacks with a first-place and second-place finish in her first two collegiate tournaments.

The Arkansas women’s golf team climbed to No. 1 in the country in this week’s Golfweek rankings, after winning the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville.

Now the Lady Razorbacks will travel to Dallas to face a loaded field at the third annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup, beginning Monday at the Trinity Forest Golf Club.

After a practice round on Saturday, Arkansas will be facing its toughest challenge of the season, competing against nationally-ranked No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Wake Forest,  No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 South Carolina, No. 6 Texas and No. 18 Duke.

The teams will tee things off on Monday, playing 36 holes, followed by 18 holes on Tuesday.  After the 54 holes of stroke play, the top four teams will advance to Wednesday’s match play round, which will be paired by seeds.

All three days of the tournament will be covered on the Golf Channel in the afternoon slots — Monday, 4-7 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, 3-6 p.m.

The No. 8 Razorback men’s team will also be competing as the highest-ranked team on the men’s side, joining the likes of No. 23 Arizona, No. 24 LSU, No. 28 Florida State, No. 29 SMU, No. 35 San Diego State and No. 49 Stanford.

The Stephens Cup rotates locations annually, bringing together the nation’s top collegiate golfers, competing in world class venues. Widely considered the premier event in college golf, the tournament is named in honor of the late Jackson (Jack) T. Stephens, who was the former Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club.

This year’s field will again feature seven NCAA Division 1 men’s and women’s teams, as well as the leading individual players players from the U.S Military Service Academies and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Both Arkansas teams have gotten off to a stellar starts, sweeping this past week’s tournament at the Blessings. Prior to the final round getting rained out, the women carded an 11-under 565, while the men shot a13-under 563.

The Razorbacks also swept top medalist honors, with freshman sensation Maria José Marin capturing the women’s individual honors and graduate John Driscoll III taking the men’s title.

The Columbian-born José Marin won her event by three strokes with a 10-under 134, carding 16 birdies in 36 holes. In her first collegiate event, last month, she placed second at the Carmel Cup  at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. She shot a 14-under 205, to match the Arkansas Freshman 54-Hole Record. In her two tournaments, José Marin has logged all five rounds at par or under with four in the 60s. She is currently ranked No. 28 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

In addition to coverage on the Golf Channel, scoring can be followed on www.golfstat.com.