Rookie of year Chiara Tamburlini joins rare league of champions on LET

Chiara Tamburlini - TheGolfingHub
Chiara Tamburlini becomes the first player from Switzerland to win the LET Order of Merit. Photo: LET

Chiara Tamburlini was crowned winner of the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit for 2024 with a T7 finish at the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Riyadh.

Related: Liz Young raises a toast with Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy

Having clinched the Rookie of the Year title after the Hero Women’s Indian Open, the Swiss star has now also wrapped up the Order of Merit as she has a 822.23 point lead with just one event remaining in the schedule.

Tamburlini becomes the seventh player in LET history to win the Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year in the same season following in the footsteps of Dame Laura Davies, Carlota Ciganda, Esther Henseleit, Jeeno Thitikul, Linn Grant and Trichat Cheenglab.

The 24-year-old has also made history for her country by being the first player from Switzerland to win both prestigious titles.

 

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“It’s such an amazing feeling to have won the Order of Merit! I can’t believe all my hard work has paid off, it’s a huge accomplishment,” said Tamburlini.

“Coming into the year, I set myself the goal of Rookie of the Year but to have also shown my consistency and won the Order of Merit is beyond what I thought I was capable of at the start of the season.

“Winning a tournament is special and to have done that three times is amazing but winning the Order of Merit proves you had the game the whole year long. It’s just incredible.”

Tamburlini earned her LET card for 2024 after graduating on the LET Access Series (LETAS) in 2023, turning professional in August and securing two victories which saw her finish third on the LETAS Order of Merit.

 

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It has been a stellar year for the Swiss star who has been victorious three times in 2024 winning the Joburg Ladies Open, Lacoste Ladies Open de France and Wistron Ladies Open – Taiwan.

The three-time LET winner has also secured seven further top-10 finishes across the season and captained her team to victory at the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF events in Shenzhen and Riyadh. In the process she became the first captain to win back-to-back ATS Team titles.

She continued: “It’s crazy to see who has won both titles and to be associated with them is incredible. Those players have gone on to do great things on the LPGA and with some of them playing Solheim Cup early in their careers as well, it shows how good they are. It’s cool to now be associated with them.

“To be the first player from Switzerland to win the title is an honour, I’m very proud of that and it shows much Swiss golf have been doing as well. The overall performance of Swiss golf has put us on the map, and it shows people at home and younger kids that you can go all the way as a Swiss player.”

Tamburlini was presented with the trophies on Saturday at Riyadh Golf Club by last year’s Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year winner Trichat Cheenglab, as well as CEO Alexandra Armas.