Spanish teenager Paula Martin Sampredo wins 122nd Women’s Amateur Championship held at Nairn Golf Club
Spanish golfer Paula Martin Sampedro claimed victory in the Women’s Amateur Championships held at Nairn Golf Club last week.
Having finished 11th in the stroke play leaderboard, Martin Sampedro then went on to beat England’s Lucy Jamieson, America’s Megan Propeck and Morgan Miller, fellow Spaniard Paula Francisco and Italy’s Caterina Don in the knockout rounds to book her place in the final.
There, the 19-year-old went up against the USA’s Farah O’Keefe, who had already overcome France’s Mila Jurine, Sweden’s Matilda Bjorkman, Denmark’s Benedicte Brent-Buchholz and Marie Eline Madsen and Canada’s Tillie Clagget herself.
In the end, it was Martin Sampedro who became the sixth Spanish champion in the competitions history, and the first since 2009, by a 2&1 margin.
The teenager had to be at her best to take the victory, Martin Sampedro, going eight-under-par for the 35 holes it took her to stave off O’Keefe’s challenge.
“It honestly doesn't feel real yet,” the new champion told the R&A website.
“I feel like I played pretty solid golf today but the match was super tight all the way. I knew it was going to come down to the last few holes so I stayed patient and it went my way.”
It was a well-matched final, with Martin Sampredo ranked 12th in the world and O’Keefe slightly ahead at eighth in the world.
Between them they hit 10 birdies, 26 pars and no bogeys in a fascinating morning session which finished all-square.
There was never more than a single hole between the two golfers at that stage, but Martin Sampedro made a telling advance when she chipped in for a birdie on the 24th and followed it up with a birdie putt of 15 feet on the next to move into a two-hole lead.
O’Keefe fought back to parity, leading to a tense final few holes, but Martin Sampredo again eased two clear at the 31st and 32nd before sealing the victory on the 35th.
The American also commented: “I'm not sour about it, it's a second-place finish, it's really good.
“I've had a lot of second-place finishes this year. There are two things that you can do.
“You can get really frustrated and try to force things to happen or rely on your skills and try to get better. My time's coming. I just have to be patient.”
For winning one of the most prestigious competitions in amateur golf, Martin Sampredo now has secured places in the field of The Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open later this summer, as well as the Chevron Championship and US Women’s Open in 2026.
The teenager will also, by tradition, receive an invitation to compete in next year’s Augusta National Women's Amateur and will be given the opportunity to play in a Ladies' European Tour event.
