Flying Start for Soo-min at Champions Retreat

Augusta, Georgia, United States: Korean teenager Oh Soo-min and Colombian Maria Jose Marin fired bogey-free, seven-under 65s to share the first-round lead at the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).

Oh, 10th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), started off strong with five birdies in her first nine holes at Champions Retreat, including three straight at seven, eight and nine.

Two more birdies late in the afternoon on 14 and 18 led to a share of the lead with Marin at the top going into the second round.

Reflecting on her round, the 17-year-old Oh said: “I’m trying not to set expectations on myself, not be greedy, and just relax and focus on one shot at a time.”

Oh, who missed the cut on her ANWA debut in 2025, has been in scintillating form this year, narrowly missing out on three titles – a sequence she hopes to end this week.

At Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand in February, Oh finished runner-up to compatriot Yang Yun-seo in the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP). She also finished second at the Chinese Taipei Women’s Amateur and the Ladies European Tour’s Women’s New South Wales Open.

Two shots off the pace in a three-way share of sixth place at Champions Retreat is Australian Raegan Denton with Hong Kong, China’s Arianna Lau a further stroke back in equal ninth and Korean Kim Gyu-been tied for 12th on 69.

Other Asia-Pacific representatives to better par on the opening day were Japan’s Aira Nagasawa and Korean Park Seo-jin (both 70) and Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Huai-chien and China’s Liu Yujie (both 71).

Japan’s Yurina Hiroyoshi and Thai Achiraya Sriwong are among those tied for 32nd on even-par 72.

Reigning WAAP champion Yang, Rianne Malixi of the Philippines and Japan’s Ai Goto are in a share of 40th place after 73s, followed by New Zealand’s Eunseo Choi, Thai Eila Galitsky and Japan’s Anna Iwanaga (all 74) and Thai Prim Prachnakorn (76).

Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani, winner of the ANWA in 2021, is propping up the 72-strong field after an 84 which included a nine at the par-four 15th.

Starting on the back nine, University of Arkansas junior Marin carded birdies at 12 and 15 before adding three straight at 18, one and two. After a string of pars, Marin birdied her final two holes to match Oh’s score. 

Marin, seventh in the WAGR, has a win and nine top-10 finishes this season for Arkansas. She earned co-medallist honours in the Clemson Invitational three days ago. Marin is making her fourth appearance in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, with her best finish coming in 2023 (tied 14th).

After the round, Marin said: “I feel like last year gave me a lot of – it was a lot of learning. There was a lot of tears, and of course this tournament means a lot to me. Not making the cut, it hurt a lot. But I learned that I’ve got to stay with my two feet on the ground, that I have to be really patient with my game, that if things are not going my way, I don’t have to push it, that I just have to wait for golf to do its thing."

Wednesday’s scoring average (72.22) was the lowest for any round in the history of the ANWA. The first round scoring average has gone down every year since 2021. Nine players earned bogey-free rounds on Wednesday, setting a new record. There were also 31 players who broke par in the first round, a new record. 

The second round will continue at Champions Retreat on Thursday. Following completion of the second round, a cut will be made with the top 30 players and ties advancing to Saturday’s final round at Augusta National.