Having stood on the tee of her 22nd hole of the week at eight over par, Chiara Noja’s chances of making the cut at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund looked extremely slim.
But the 15-year-old superbly bounced back, despite a shoulder injury, to play her next 15 holes at five under par, with three birdies and a sublime eagle, but most importantly, no dropped shots, to make her first professional cut right on the line at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
“I’m very relieved to get it done,” said Noja, who turned professional on the eve of the Dubai Moonlight Classic. “I picked up an injury in the first round, but even if there was a two percent chance of making the cut, I was going to play.
“On the driving range the morning of my first round, I was trying to over exaggerate a movement in my golf swing but overdid it, and pulled the tendons in my shoulder. Luckily the LET had a physio available, and she helped me out by strapping it up and given me some pain relief.
“I stood there before teeing off for the second round and I didn’t know if I could play because I was in so much pain, but this is a such an amazing opportunity, so to give it up it would have been a shame. I managed to pull through which is so rewarding.”
Noja had an agonizing wait to find out if she would be playing the final 36 holes after yesterday’s second round was suspended due to darkness. The youngster still had one hole to play, knowing she would advance to the weekend with a par.
“I couldn’t sleep last night; I was so stressed out thinking about everything that I could do wrong,” she said.
“I got it here this morning and was thinking ‘don’t ruin this for yourself,’ so I went to the driving range and replayed the ninth hole multiple times. When we got to the hole, I hit my first two shots well, pitched a little too long on the third, but as soon as I hit the putt within a foot of the hole, I knew I’d done it.”
With the pressure somewhat off after making her first professional cut, what’s the game plan for the weekend?
“Just play golf,” she said. “I’m definitely more relaxed in the sense that I’ve made the cut now, but I still have my same goals of shooting low and letting my game do the talking. I’ve got play smart out there, and not go to crazy or to aggressive. I’m looking forward to today, it’s going to be fun.”
Noja gets her third round underway at 12:04 local time alongside Agathe Lasine and Emma Nilsson.
