Paula Martin Sampedro is the leading amateur at Royal Lytham & St Annes, backing her links game and Spanish golf pedigree to make a mark on her AIG Women’s Open debut.

Paula Martin Sampedro is the leading amateur at the AIG Women’s Open, part of the eight-way tie for sixth on five-under through 36 holes. The Spaniard, who earned her place in the field off the back of a top-10 finish last year, said she arrived at Lytham with genuine belief rather than just gratitude for the invitation.

“I think I can. If I play my best, I definitely can, yeah,” she said when asked if she came into the week thinking she could win. Playing her first links course, Martin Sampedro pointed to the influence of Spanish golf’s most famous name on her preparation. “Obviously very important place for Spanish golf with Seve. I really like playing links golf. It requires a lot of creativity, strategy becomes an even more important factor.”

She also credited her coach, on the bag for the week, with sharpening her game plan around Lytham’s bunkers. “I think having my coach on the bag really helps. He also has a lot of links golf experience, so I think combining him and myself creates a great team and gives me a lot of confidence.”

Crump’s major debut ends at the cut

Lauren Crump’s first major appearance ended at the cut, but the 17-year-old from Whitchurch leaves Lytham with a season that already reads like a breakthrough. The Shropshire amateur qualified for the field via Final Qualifying at St Annes Old Links, adding a major debut to a run of wins that includes the Rose Ladies Series event at Southport & Ainsdale, the Hampshire Rose and a 10-stroke victory at the ANNIKA Invitational.

Crump reflected on a week that had already given her plenty to take forward regardless of the outcome. “That I can compete with some of the best players. Even the girls I played with, I gained so much experience from them, dealing with when to go for a shot, when to just get a par,” she said.

She described a first tee experience that stayed with her long after the nerves passed. “The night before I was really excited and then I kind of got on the tee and I was like, oh my God. It was like, please just get it on the green,” she said, adding that the crowd’s support made the moment feel less daunting than she’d expected.

Her rise to Lytham had been rapid. Her qualifying practice round was squeezed into a nine-hole dash off the back of a flight home from the European Girls’ Championship and she pointed to that whirlwind build-up as part of what had settled her nerves once the tournament started. “My confidence has definitely improved, even coming from pre-qualifying and shooting the score I did against some really good people.”

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