AT 16 YEARS OLD, GOLF PRODIGY IN DUBAI IS AIMING FOR PERFECTION
In sport and at school, Chiara Noja gives her all for success, writes
AGerman teenager who lives and studies in Dubai has had a whirlwind first year on the ladies’ professional golf circuit. Chiara Noja, 16, is the youngest European golfer to win an event on the professional tour.
This year, she needs to make time to study for her GCSE examinations while practising and playing against the best golfers in the world.
Confident and self-assured, Chiara shook the golfing world when she won her first Ladies European Tour title, the Aramco Team Series, in Jeddah last November, barely a year after she became a professional.
Chiara spoke about handling pressure on the circuit and completing her maths homework on the flight home to Dubai after her big win last year.
“I was raised in an environment where I was always taught to be uncomfortable and almost to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. That really helps with mental toughness,” she says during a break from practice at Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates.
When she won in her age category as a child, her father Tom decided to place her in a higher age band.
“So I always got to compete against better players and
I was always challenged, which was really good for me,” she says.
Chiara first swung her clubs at the age of three, when her parents took her to play golf during a weekend break in Berlin.
The family moved to the UK when Chiara was seven and then they settled in Dubai three years ago.
Her parents chose Gems FirstPoint School in Dubai, where Chiara is allowed to study and practise golf during the week.
The school also offers Chiara online education when she plays overseas.
Keen on getting good grades, Chiara sets aside time for schoolwork in the morning or evening during her tournament appearances.
“I play my rounds and then I get my books out and study,” says the Grade 11 pupil. “I study on the flight back home. It’s part of the journey for me, that’s normal.
“Of course, it’s difficult, but I think I’m doing a good job so far and I’m going to keep trying to do that.”
Chiara found herself in the media spotlight long before she turned professional at 15.
She came second in the UK in the Ladies County Championship at the age of 12, and went on to win the Scottish Girls’ under-12 Open Championship.
At 13, she topped the European rankings in the under-14 age group.
The strong support system built by her parents and friends in Dubai makes Chiara feel like a “regular child”.
“I really have had the opportunity to blossom into being myself,” she says.
“I also get to meet successful players who come here to play and I can learn from them. Coming to Dubai and the school has been a really good decision for me. I have made close friends who know I can’t always pick up the phone because I’m at practice or in tournaments,” she says.
“They have been so supportive and cheer for me every step of the way. Those are really things you cannot take for granted, and I appreciate this every single day.”
Her father has also been her coach from the time she began playing.
Watching his reaction and his tears after her big win in Jeddah was an emotional moment for Chiara.
“I didn’t cry. I think I was kind of shocked when I won,” she says. “All day I was tense, my concentration was so high and I pushed myself to being fearless.
“But I know my dad is emotional. He has a tough exterior but inside he cares more than anybody else. He puts his heart and soul into everything we do, so there is not a moment where I’m not grateful for everything he does,” Chiara says.
“Seeing him cry was rewarding because it felt like I made him proud, which was a beautiful feeling.”
Mr Noja, a former professional footballer in Germany, said pitting Chiara against more experienced golfers was instrumental in developing her game.
“I know how important it is to be prepared for life and life is not straightforward,” he says. “For me, it was important that Chiara has the opportunity to find the balance between winning and failing.
“It’s not just about golf, it’s about life.
“You fail, you make a mistake, learn from it and get better,” Mr Noja says. Meeting golf idols such as New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who won top honours as a teenager, is one of Chiara’s inspirations.
“Lydia Ko has been one of my greatest role models – she gave me some tips and it was really interesting to have a conversation with a player of that calibre,” Chiara says. “In a letter to her teenage self, she has spoken about how when you are young, every putt will look like a tap-in, that everything seems possible but how everything can also change.
“I have got ‘tap-in’ engraved on my putter.
“Every time I look at it, I get a little more motivated. It’s just this belief that I can.”
Mature beyond her years, Chiara has practical advice for younger players.
“I tell them – don’t be afraid to fail – that’s the lesson I have had to learn.
“There is no easy route, no shortcut, you have got to practise,” she says.
“Don’t let the mind wander and do strange things out on the golf course.
“Think of what you are trying to achieve, then think of your goals and commit to those and do whatever you can do to make it possible.” Chiara’s dream is to be the world
No 1, but she is practical enough to realise that many other golfers share that burning ambition.
Staying mentally strong, working hard on every aspect of her game and trying “to get as close to perfection” are among her long list of goals.
“My main goal is making sure that my mindset is good, making sure that I’m fearless and committed,” Chiara says.
“I’m trying to do the best I can every single day I go out there. And I’m trying to win. Whether I do or not is a different story because golf is really, really tough.
“My goal is to be No 1 in the world, but I guess that’s everyone’s dream,” she says.
“So, the question is: can I do it and play the golf I need to?”
My main goal is making sure my that mindset is good, making sure that I’m fearless and committed
CHIARA NOJA
European Tour winner