Paula Martín Sampedro

Spaniard wins back-to-back Smyth Salvers at AIG Women's Open

Amateur, Paula Martin Sampedro of Spain reacts following her third shot on the third hole during the Final Round of the AIG Women

Paula Martín Sampedro has won the coveted Smyth Salver for the second consecutive year after an impressive showing at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The Smyth Salver is awarded to the amateur who records the lowest score at the AIG Women’s Open, provided they complete all four rounds.

Paula posted a final-round 72 following earlier scores of 69, 71, and 76 to finish on four-over par.

The Spaniard closed out her round with a bogey after making ten consecutive pars from the 9th to 17th holes, having started strongly with back-to-back birdies on the opening two holes.

The 20-year-old stuck to a winning formula, keeping coach Alejandro Larrazábal on her bag following their success last year.

"I'm very happy with my performance overall," Martín Sampedro said. "I think my game has been pretty solid overall and made some good birdies, hit in some good shots. Had some fun out there, so a lot of highs. The low amateur award means a lot to me, and to get it for the second year in a row is a huge honour."

The only other amateur to make the cut was Yunseo Yang, who finished T54 at nine-over par. The South Korean earned her place at Royal Lytham after winning the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific at Royal Wellington in February.

Paula becomes the fifth player to claim the title on two occasions and the first since Jeeno Thitikul in 2018 and 2019.

It was another impressive display at the AIG Women's Open for the Stanford University student, who was making just her second appearance at the championship.

"I think there are a lot of learnings," she added when reflecting on her week on the major stage. "Just seeing myself up there ahead of the weekend was a challenge and I haven't been in that position before... [I will be] taking some good lessons with me and hopefully work them out for the future."

The Smyth Salver has been contested since 1979, with England’s Sue Hedges becoming the very first recipient.

Several major stars have added their names to the roll of honour over the years, including Michelle Wie, Mel Reid, Leona Maguire, Rose Zhang, and Lottie Woad.

Most notably, four former Smyth Salver winners have gone on to taste victory in the championship itself: Marta Figueras-Dotti, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall, and 2024 champion Lydia Ko.