One of the great features of golf majors are the amateurs that get to compete against the best in the world. At the women’s majors, there’s often at least a couple that get to stay around for the weekend and sometimes even find their names at the top of the leaderboard. Here are five of the amateurs to keep an eye on this weekend:
Maria José Marin – No amateur is coming into this event with more momentum than José Marin. Momentum is a powerful thing in golf. José Marin is fresh off winning the NCAA Division I Individual National Championship. With the win, she joined Arkansas legends Stacy Lewis and Maria Fassi as the only Razorbacks to win the title. José Marin is currently ranked No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Asterisk Talley – Asterisk Talley has future LPGA star written all over her, and likely soon. At only 16 she is already in the top 20 of the WAGR and is in contention in every major amateur event she competes in. Just today, the New York Times had an article about her which used the term “The next young star in women’s golf.” The hype is real but she has so much experience in big moments already.
Carla Bernat Escuder – Outside of one event, Bernat Escuder profiles as a great college player but not one with overwhelming hype entering an event like this. That one event though was the biggest amateur golf event in the world, The Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which she won in 2025. Now all eyes are on the 21-year-old from Spain who plays her college golf at Kansas State. This could be a huge opportunity for another elite level win.
Lottie Woad – Probably the most high-profile amateur in the women’s game, Lottie Woad has had a terrific last couple years. She’s ranked No. 1 in the WAGR, she won the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and she finished top 10 in last year’s AIG Women’s Open. Woad seems poised to be a really solid LPGA Tour player right away, so it is great to see her get these reps in.
Jude Lee – A wildcard here but Lee is a bit of an unknown to many fans, but there should be interest surrounding her. She qualified at just 17-years-old and isn’t even top 200 in the WAGR. She is soon on her way to Stanford, where she joins the strongest women’s golf program in the country. She’s also coming off good finishes in the Mizuho Americas Open and The Nelly Invitational, hosted by Nelly Korda. Keep an eye on Lee this week and see if she can make some noise.
