Germany’s Chiara Noja is a rising star in the world of golf having turned professional last year at the age of just 15.
One year later and the teenager has since clinched her first professional win on the LET Access Series (LETAS) and secured playing rights for the Ladies European Tour (LET) for 2023.
“I started playing when I was around three years old,” she said. “My parents were keen golfers and eventually, I came along to their golf outings.
“I was rather infatuated with learning how to drive the buggy so I’m sure that consumed me for a while, but once I got bored of that I tried playing golf.
“It was never my parents’ intention to be honest, as I was more focused on ballet, horse riding and tennis for the first few years, but I guess the sport got me hooked and here we are!
“I think especially when you’re younger there is no real recognition of whether you’re good or not, so I think my 2018 season was one of the first signs that I actually was pretty good at what I was doing when I won the Scottish U12 Girls Championships, shortly after finishing second in the Ladies County Championships. Moments like that motivated me to keep going and let me dream of what I could one day achieve in the sport.”
But despite finding a love for the sport, there was a time a few years ago when someone told the youngster that golf might not be the sport for her.
“One of my favourite memories of golf was at the 2015 ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters at Buckinghamshire Golf Club,” she explained.
“I remember going to one of the YONEX fitting bays for a bit of fun and hitting a few drives. For context – it was a very narrow mat with metal edges that wobbled a little when you swung.
“I guess I slipped in one of my swings and managed to hit the face on that corner and cracked it! The fitter grabbed it out of my hand, and before showing me the exit explicitly told me ‘I don’t think golf is for you’. I love the irony of it now and always find myself laughing when I think back to it.”
The Covid-19 pandemic affected different people in different ways and for Noja, it accelerated her journey to professional golf.
With many amateur events being postponed, the rising star decided to play on LETAS in 2021 and made her professional debut at the end of the year on the LET.
She continued: “After several wins and top finishes in amateur championships, at 14 I became an England National Squad Member. Shortly after Covid hit, which never let…
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