Comeback Queen Meets Spanish Silk in Women’s Amateur Final
O’Keefe’s roaring rally sets stage for a Nairn showdown with the smooth-swinging Martin Sampedro
Farah O’Keefe of the United States and Paula Martin Sampedro of Spain will contest the 36-hole final of the 122nd Women’s Amateur Championship tomorrow at Nairn, Scotland.
O’Keefe, ranked eighth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), staged one of the championship’s most thrilling comebacks to reach the final. Four down with five to play in her semi-final against Canada’s Tillie Claggett, O’Keefe clawed her way back before sealing victory with a birdie at the 19th.
“I was almost planning where to eat dinner,” said O’Keefe, laughing. “But I said to myself: if she’s going to win, she’s going to have to beat me. I wasn’t done.”
Claggett had bolted to a three-hole lead with a birdie-eagle-birdie start and extended her advantage to four through ten. But bogeys at the 14th, 16th and 17th opened the door, and when she missed a ten-footer on the 18th, the match was tied. O’Keefe, revived and resolute, converted her 12-foot birdie putt in the playoff.
On the other side of the bracket, Martin Sampedro — currently 12th in WAGR® — delivered a quietly dominant 3&2 win over Italy’s Caterina Don. Showing deft control and a masterclass in bunker play, the Spaniard preserved her early lead with a key up-and-down at the 9th and extended it at the 10th. A decisive birdie at the 14th underlined her command.
Martin Sampedro had earlier beaten fellow Spaniard Paula Francisco in the quarters, and afterwards asked her friend to caddie in the semi-final — a switch that seemed to work wonders.
Tomorrow’s final will be more than a battle for silverware. The winner gains entry into five of the biggest events in women’s golf, including the AIG Women’s Open and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
“This is the dream, isn’t it?” said Martin Sampedro. “To play for everything.”
At Nairn, with the cold mist rolling off the Moray Firth and the echoes of 1979 winner Maureen Madill in the air, two brilliant young women now stand on the brink of history.