You and I both know golf rarely hands out fairy-tale endings, but Paula Martin Sampedro just wrote one anyway. The 19-year-old from Madrid out-dueled American standout Farah O’Keefe to capture the 122nd Women’s Amateur Championship at Nairn, Scotland—becoming Spain’s first winner in 16 years and punching her ticket to four professional majors.
From the first tee shot you sensed Martin Sampedro had another gear. She and O’Keefe combined for six birdies over the opening six holes, setting a feverish pace that never cooled. By lunchtime they were all square, posting a blemish-free card of ten birdies and 26 pars.
The afternoon stretch delivered the real drama. Bagpipes welcomed the finalists back to the first tee; Martin Sampedro greeted them with a deft chip that grazed the cup and a quick one-hole lead. O’Keefe answered immediately, but the Spaniard’s short-game fireworks—highlighted by a chip-in on the 24th and a 15-footer on the 25th—created daylight. Even an O’Keefe eagle on the 28th only delayed the inevitable. When the American’s two-footer lipped out on the 32nd, the writing was on the scorecard. A rock-steady par on the 35th sealed a 2&1 victory and an eight-under total for 35 holes.
The win is far more than a line on her résumé. Martin Sampedro now holds invites to the Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open this summer, plus the Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open in 2026. Tradition also hands her a spot in next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur and a Ladies European Tour start—elite stages tailor-made for a player already ranked 12th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Nairn’s crowd felt the significance. The Moray-coast classic has hosted the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, The Amateur, and now its second Women’s Amateur. Few venues hand out classics quite like this one, and the gallery knew it was watching two future stars. O’Keefe, the world No. 8, had erased a four-hole deficit in her semi-final; on Sunday she pushed Martin Sampedro to the edge again. Their duel was everything women’s amateur golf hopes to be: precise, competitive, and fearless.
For Spain, the result revives memories of Azahara Muñoz’s 2009 triumph; for the rest of us, it announces a new name to track the next time you scroll major-championship leaderboards.
Paula Martin Sampedro didn’t just win a championship—she opened the door to golf’s biggest stages and walked right through. Keep her on your radar; you’ll be seeing her name on far larger leaderboards very soon.
