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Paula Martin Sampedro fires Sunday 68 to win low amateur honors at Women's British Open

Paula Martin Sampedro fires Sunday 68 to win low amateur honors at Women's British Open

USA Today5 hours ago
Stanford's Paula Martin Sampedro put an exclamation point on her week in Wales with a back-nine 30 that included five consecutive birdies.
The Spaniard, who played alongside two-time Smyth Salver winner Lydia Ko, closed with a 4-under 68 to zoom up the board and currently holds a share of eighth at 4 under. Her 30 on the inward nine is the lowest of the week by two strokes.
"Honestly, even in the front nine the couple the bogeys she made, she got some really nasty lip-outs," said Ko.
"At that point if a couple of those dropped it would've been an unbelievable round. Was still an unbelievable round, and it was fun to play alongside her today."
Martin Sampedro wraps up the coveted Smyth Salver for low amateur honors as Carla Bernat struggled with a 78 on Sunday to finish at 9 over for the championship, while Jeneath Wong shot 82 to finish at 17 over.
Martin Sampedro becomes the fourth Spanish player to win the award, joining Marta Figueras-Dotti (1982), Elisa Serramia (2003) and Luna Sobron (2015). Her coach and caddie for the week, Alejandro Larrazabal, won the British Amateur at Royal Porthcawl in 2002.
"My first three, four holes were really rough," said Martin Sampedro. "There was no way I was getting two on 1, it's a par 4. Then the first four holes, with perfect conditions are already so hard, so I knew it was going to be a tough beginning.
"And then just managed to keep calm and just hole a couple putts, and then I started to see the lines better ... it was definitely a good birdie stretch on the back nine."
The list of recent Smyth Salver winners is packed with stars.
The award, given to the low amateur at the AIG Women's British Open, has served as a strong indicator of future success, with names like Danielle Kang, Georgia Hall, Leona Maguire, Jeeno Thitikul, Ko, and most recently, Lottie Woad, receiving the honor.
It's been a massive summer for Martin Sampedro, who won both the British Women's Amateur and European Ladies' Amateur Championship in Germany. The British Amateur victory exempts her into next year's championship. Martin Sampedro currently ranks third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Keep tabs on all the action from the final round of the 2025 AIG Women's British Open with our live updates page.
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