Photo by Neville Hopwood

By Matt Smith
There are certain moments in sport that herald the arrival of a new star — someone who emerges from the shadows to announce their time in the limelight.

(Think 20-year-old Tiger Woods defeating Davis Love III in Vegas in 1996, Pele dazzling at the World Cup aged 17 in 1958, Martina Hingis winning Wimbledon at the age of 15.)

After witnessing the events at the final Aramco Team Series tournament of 2022 at Royal Greens Golf And Country Club in Jeddah in November, we could well have another sporting superstar ready to thrill for the foreseeable future. Step forward Chiara Noja 

They say that balance can be key to success in golf, and no-one knows this better than Dubai resident Chiara, who has been juggling her studies alongside her career as a tour pro.

You see, Chiara is just a 16-year-old schoolgirl — while also being the Ladies European Tour’s latest champion at the Aramco Team Series finale in Saudi Arabia.

Let’s rewind a little to see how we got here. 

The Berlin-born Chiara moved to England at the age of seven and quickly showed her talent for the game, becoming a scratch golfer by 12. Following her tied-ninth finish at the 2020 Women’s Amateur Championship, she made her LET debut at the Dubai Moonlight Classic. 

She also impressed by making the weekend at the 2021 Aramco Saudi Ladies International and the Aramco Team Series — Jeddah (both at her favourite Royal Greens) on a sponsor’s invitation from Golf Saudi.

After turning pro in October 2021, Chiara gained access to the Ladies European Tour Access Series (an LET version of the Korn Ferry/Challenge Tour, if you will). She was ineligible for the LET Q-School as she was under the age of 16. 

Undeterred, she quickly showed she meant business with a second-place finish in the 2022 season opener in France, before claiming her first professional victory in the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge in June, followed by a string of top-10 finishes to help her secure her full LET card for 2023. 

While still studying for her GCSEs, Chiara saved her best for last on her return to Jeddah. 

The now-16-year-old lined up against some of the top players in the world — with the likes of Georgia Hall, Bronte Law, Olivia Cowan, Ann van Dam and the great Catriona Matthew and Suzann Pettersen in the 144-strong field. 

With her LET card safe, the 6ft-tall Chiara played with a freedom and maturity beyond her years, backed up by the longest drive on tour, and was lurking near the top of the leaderboard after the first two days with a 68 and 70 taking her to six-under. She found another gear for the final round, scorching a sensational 65 to match her idol Charley Hull on 13-under and force a playoff.

Before the tournament in Jeddah, Chiara joked that “the goal is to win this week, so I don’t need school anymore”.

Job done! Two perfect birdies down the 18th eventually saw her overcome Hull and history was made. 

Speaking to Golf Digest Middle East after her triumph, an emotional Chiara let her mature guise slip a little, offering a glimpse of the schoolgirl underneath, dancing a jig when she learnt she now had a two-year exemption on the LET. 

“I am so pleased I just managed to keep it all together,” she said. “In the playoff, I had nothing to lose. Dad said and Chris (Murphy, my caddie) said to just keep breathing and I just did that. I tried to stay comfortable and, I guess that’s the secret!”

One more secret that is out is that Chiara is the one to watch in 2023, and a new star has truly arrived.