Chiara Noja - © Ladies European Tour

From Wednesday 4 November at the Emirates Golf Club, golf enthusiasts will be able to see the defending champion Spanish player, Nuria Iturrioz, Maha Haddioui, the first and only Arab player on the Ladies European Tour, compete against each other. Stars will be present like Minjee Lee and Lydia Ko, as well as Solheim Cup players including Céline Boutier, Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, and Catriona Matthew the 2021 captain.

Two young amateur players, Alison Muirhead (22) and Chiara Noja (14), were invited to join the fray to pass their first cut and why not a first podium… Muirhead and Noja are both based in Dubai and polish their game in the winter sun to ensure they can compete at the highest level with world-class female players.

Muirhead was born in South Africa and moved to Dubai at the age of eight. Passionate about sport from an early age, she became a netball captain (derived from basketball, this sport is still unknown in France) for a team based in Dubai, and participated in golf competitions when she was younger. Commenting on her selection for this year's OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic, Muirhead said “I am delighted to have been invited to the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic. Having grown up in Dubai and dreamed of one day having the chance to measure myself against the best, it's surreal to see myself offered such an opportunity. I was fortunate enough to grow up in Dubai, where some of the best courses in the world are located, which has allowed me to train regularly in optimal conditions. As I got better, I was able to participate in many women's competitions, organized by the UAE Golf Federation, and it is the success of these competitions that gave me the confidence and desire to succeed in golf. at the highest level " .

Chiara Noja, 14, makes her LET debut as an amateur. It is currently +5 index. Hailing from Germany, Noja first rose to prominence in the UK at the age of twelve, surpassing a succession of more experienced and older players at the Hertfordshire Lady County Championships. In 2020, Noja and her family made the major decision to move to Dubai, so the teenager can continue her development and see if she has what it takes to turn professional later. Noja was delighted to learn that she will be performing alongside her idols on November 4th.

“I couldn't believe the news when the tournament director contacted me to confirm that I would be playing at the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic. Thanks to their support, I will be able to compete against the best players in the world. I only arrived in Dubai a few weeks ago, but I already feel at home here. I work hard every day and I hope I can make the best use of this invitation and show that I can live up to it, but also in the Ladies European Tour, that I deserve my place ”.

One of the players who will draw on her experience at the time of the tournament will be Maha Haddioui, at 32, she remains the first and only Arab golfer to have participated in the Ladies European Tour to date. Moroccan Haddioui, who has been playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET) since 2012, will participate in the Dubai tournament is also looking for a first victory on the LET circuit.

“I am very excited to participate in the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic this week. It's a tournament I've always enjoyed participating in and, being Arabic speaking, Dubai is always a place where I feel incredibly welcome. The LET tournament in Dubai has been a mainstay of our calendar for over ten years now, and we all love to return to it year after year, especially with this innovative new nighttime format taking place under the iconic Dubai sky. Obviously it will be different not playing in front of spectators, but we are all incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious tournament ”.

Formerly known as the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters, the first tournament took place in 2006, with a large number of winners including two-time winner Annika Sorenstam and four-time defending champion Shanshan Feng. Sorenstam won the first two consecutive tournaments in 2006 and 2007, while former world number one Feng dominated from 2014 to 2016, winning the tournament three times in a row.

The new tournament has been moved from May to November, having first been hosted in the spring of 2019, where it was recognized as the world's premier day-night professional tournament.

For more information on the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic, click here

To read our last article on the same subject :

OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic: Nuria Iturrios lights up Dubai