Paula in for Porthcawl

Paula Martin Sampedro qualified for the AIG Women’s Open by winning The Women’s Amateur Championship at Nairn on Sunday.

The Spaniard emerged victorious from a titanic 36-hole tussle with Farah O’Keefe to win by a narrow 2&1 margin.

The 19-year-old from Madrid became the sixth Spanish Women’s Amateur champion and the first since Azahara Muñoz in 2009.

As well an exemption for the AIG Women’s Open – which begins at Royal Porthcawl on 30 July – Paula has also earned a place in this year’s Amundi Evian Championship field and the Chevron Championship and US Women’s Open in 2026.

“I’m super excited,” she said of gaining entry into four majors.

“I actually played my first major a couple weeks ago at the US Women's Open and it was a great experience. I'm happy to just have given myself a chance to play more in the coming weeks.

“It's great to play more links golf at the end of the summer at the AIG Women’s Open.

“Hopefully I can get my coach [Alejandro Larrazába] to caddie. He actually won The Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl [in 2002]. I guess that's just like destiny or coincidence. That's going to be super cool.”