Marisa Isabel Baena (born 1 June 1977) is a Colombian golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.
Early life and amateur career
In 1977, Baena was born in Pereira, Colombia. She started playing golf at the age of six.
Baena attended the University of Arizona in the United States and had an outstanding amateur career, the highlights of which were claiming the individual NCAA title in 1996 and finishing at runner up at the U.S. Women's Amateur in the same year. In 1996, she won the Honda Award (now the Honda Sports Award) as the best female collegiate golfer in the nation.
Professional career
She qualified for the LPGA Tour at her first attempt and had her rookie season in 1999, but she has not so far fully lived up to the promise of her amateur days. Her best finish in a stroke play tournament on the Tour is a tie for second place at the 2003 Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. In July 2005 she was the surprise winner of the first HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, beating South Korea's Meena Lee by one hole in the final. She won $500,000, a three-year exemption on the LPGA Tour, and a gold horseshoe necklace.
She represented Team International in the inaugural Lexus Cup competition in 2005. She and her sister Christina represented Colombia in the 2006 Women's World Cup of Golf.
Awards and honors
In 1996, Baena won the Honda Award in the golf category. This award is bestowed to the top female college golfer in the United States.