Noja is fifth in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol rankings for LET Player of the Year.
Chiara Noja joins an impressive list of players – Brooke Henderson, Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson – who made their professional debuts at the ShopRite LPGA Classic as sponsor exemptions.
The 17-year-old won her first LET title last November at age 16 at the Aramco Team Series event in Jeddah, defeating Charley Hull in a two-hole playoff. Noja finished runner-up last week at the Belgian Ladies Open and has seven top-15 finishes so far on the LET this season. She’s currently fifth in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol rankings for LET Player of the Year.
Noja, who is still in high school, makes only her second start on U.S. soil this week in New Jersey. She heads next to her native Berlin for the Amundi German Masters and then home to Dubai for prom.
“I actually do enjoy being in this school and being a regular person out there,” she said. “Then coming back to golf and you just feel a lot more refreshed.”
At 6-feet tall, Noja averages 295 yards off the tee on the Ladies European Tour but says she doesn’t swing full throttle in competition. Her swing speed of 106 mph is plenty, she noted, because hitting the fairway remains priority.
“When I was like 13, I had a bit of back pain because I think I was just swinging it too fast for my frame,” she said, “so we’ve made sure that I’m just swinging healthy and efficiently, and that’s what I’ve done or the last two years.”
Currently No. 94 in the world, Noja won’t turn 18 until next March and would need special permission from the tour to attend LPGA Q-Series later this year.
“I’m hoping I can go to Q-School at the end of the year,” said Noja, “but it’s dependant on my age, so we’ll see what the answer is to that.”
“Before we went out, my dad showed Charley a picture of me with her as a 10-year-old. It’s like a full circle, it’s a blessing.”
High school senior Chiara Noja won on the Ladies European Tour at the Aramco Team Series Jeddah, defeating her childhood idol, Charley Hull, in a playoff.
Noja, 16, carded a final-round 65 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club to get to 13 under, while Hull birdied four of her last six holes. Noja, a powerful player who stands six feet tall, birdied back-to-back holes in the playoff to secure the title.
Earlier in the week, Noja joked that she needed to win so that she didn’t need more school after accidentally bringing the wrong books to study in Jeddah.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet,” said Noja of her victory. “I think the happiness will come later this evening. Before we went out, my dad showed Charley a picture of me with her as a 10-year-old. It’s like a full circle, it’s a blessing.
“I’ve worked hard over a lot of years now to be able to not back out of shots and commit to everything that I do and not be afraid to fail.”
Before 16-year-old Chiara Noja defeated Charley Hull on the LET, she took a picture with her idol six years ago. (Courtesy LET)
The LET’s Aramco Team Series is comprised of five events staged across the globe. The Saudi-backed events remain controversial given the wide-ranging human rights abuses Saudi Arabia has been accused of, especially toward women.
Other Aramco winners this year include Manon De Roey, Bronte Law, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson.
Noja first played on the LET as a 14-year-old amateur at the Dubai event. After a second-round 86 sent her spiraling, however, she later admitted on Instagram that back at the hotel, she couldn’t imagine going back on the course for the final round.
“I was unable to deal with the pressure,” wrote Noja, “and the fact that millions of people were watching on TV, and consequently had a complete meltdown.”
She’s come a long way since then, with a victory and five additional top-three finishes on the LET Access Series this season, finishing second on the Order of Merit to earn her LET card for 2023.
A couple weeks later, she’s already won on that tour. Noja said she hasn’t a clue what comes next.
“I can’t even begin to fathom it,” she said. “I’m just going to try and relax tonight. Maybe have a burger and sleep, probably the best night sleep I’m ever going to get and see how I feel.”
The 6-foot 15-year-old generates head-turning power that will be on display under the lights.
It’s hard to imagine a more memorable start to a professional career than competing in the world’s only night golf tournament a mere 15 minutes from home. Add to the fact that the pro happens to be a 15-year-old high school student who stands 6-feet tall and generates head-turning power and it’s a headline-worthy debut for Chiara Noja at this week’s Dubai Moonlight Classic.
The German-born player was raised in England and moved to Dubai shortly before last year’s Dubai Moonlight Classic. After playing almost exclusively in professional events this season on the LET’s Access Series, where she finished runner-up in Belgium, Noja decided it was time to take the next step. While she wouldn’t reveal all that’s in store for her upcoming schedule, Noja said it was too good to wait.
“I don’t want to pass up on those opportunities when I know I’m ready to compete as a professional,” she said.
Chiara Noja, 15, set to make her pro debut at the Dubai Moonlight Classic. (Courtesy photo)
Noja said the family knew that winter training in England wasn’t ideal for getting her game to the next level, and when her mother received a job opportunity in Dubai, they made the move last year. Shortly thereafter, Noja received an offer make her debut on the LET as a 14-year-old at the Dubai Moonlight Classic.
After a second-round 86 sent her spiraling, however, she later admitted on Instagram that back at the hotel, she couldn’t imagine going back on the course for the final round.
“I was unable to deal with the pressure,” wrote Noja, “and the fact that millions of people were watching on TV, and consequently had a complete meltdown.”
Looking back, going into the Dubai event having played very little golf due to COVID-19 restrictions left her feeling very “unsure” of who she was as a 14-year-old athlete. After a long talk with her team, however, she followed up that 86 with a 73 and was left speechless by the turnaround.
And while she goes into this year’s event as a pro, she’s hoping to carry fewer expectations, saying that she wants her attitude to define her golf, and not the other way around.
“This year has been a lot of growth mentally,” she said, “just accepting that failure is going to be part of it whether I want to accept that or not.”
The Dubai Moonlight Classic is being held Oct. 27-29 on the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club. Former No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn and sister Moriya are among the stars in the field along with Attaya Thitikul, the 18-year-old Thai player who leads the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol by over 1,400 points. Thitikul is currently ranked 28th in the world.
Winning Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew, World Golf Hall of Famer Laura Davies and LPGA players Maria Fassi and Bronte Law are among the event’s other invitees.
Much like Ariya Jutanugarn, Davies and Fassi, it’s Noja’s length that grabs the attention. She averages 280 yards off the tee, but said she can get up to 290 on TrackMan when she goes hard.
The athletic player dabbled in horseback riding, swimming, tennis and track growing up, but found golf to be her deepest love.
The powerful, statuesque Nelly Korda is her inspiration. When Korda went to No. 1 in the world, Noja thought she could one day do the same.
“When I look at her,” said Noja, “I sort of see myself.”
LET Qualifying School will be held in December, but Noja does not meet the tour’s minimum age requirement of 16.
“We’re looking to see if there’s any possibility of working around that,” she said.
