Chiara Tamburlini is full of excitement heading into this week’s Chevron Championship as the Swiss star looks to make an impression in her first Major outside of Europe.
The 25-year-old earned a place in the star-studded field thanks to a phenomenal 2024, a year which saw her win three times en route to claiming the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year double.
Currently 73rd in the Rolex Rankings, Tamburlini is looking forward to the challenge as she tees up alongside the world’s best on the LPGA Tour.
“It’s my first major outside of Europe!” the Swiss star said. “It’s a crazy field, but my goal is definitely to make the cut and then try to work my way up the leaderboard over the weekend.
“I think a lot can be possible if I get my game going. But at the same time, it’s also important to stay in the moment and take things shot by shot. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I want to give myself the opportunity to play on the weekend. We will see where that will lead me.”
Tamburlini finished T6 in her last outing on the LET at the Investec SA Women’s Open – a tournament which she led heading into the weekend. A week before that, the Order of Merit winner recorded another T6 finish in her defence of the Joburg Ladies Open.
“South Africa was good but I have to say I’m a little disappointed with how the final day and how the tournament ended,” she explained. “The weekend wasn’t quite what I hoped for, but having two top-six finishes after having a few weeks off with a bad wrist was not a bad thing. Overall, I’m very happy and I’m trying to keep moving in the right direction.
“I have a couple of swing thoughts that I’m working on. I’ve been pretty consistent with it which is nice. Hopefully I can keep improving. I don’t have any tweaks to make for this week.”
World No 1 Nelly Korda will be defending her crown at The Chevron Championship this week, a figure Tamburlini played alongside at last year’s Amundi Evian Championship where she finished T55 in her Major debut.
But despite the superstars in attendance at The Club at Carlton Woods in Texas, Tamburlini will be guided by home comforts as she looks to feel at ease and put on a strong performance.
“I saw some familiar faces today,” she explained. “I played a practice round with Manon [De Roey] and saw Pauline [Roussin-Bouchard] so that was very nice because I guess I don’t know too many people over here. So some familiar faces, a couple more than expected. I guess I will get to meet some new people which is nice.
“My boyfriend is caddying for me this week. He caddied for me last year in Switzerland, London and Evian. They all went really well so I’m excited as he obviously knows me quite well. He has good knowledge about golf so that’s really good.
“My parents are also going to come and watch me plus my sister and one of her friends. We’re staying in a big house together so it’s really nice to have familiar faces around to remind myself that this is a special tournament. I don’t need to change anything about my approach really.”
The Chevron Championship, the first women’s Major of the year, gets underway on Thursday in The Woodlands in Texas. Click here to see the field and full tournament preview.
