"VAN" (Sports Desk - 23.04.2025) :: Her ferocity as an amateur left a lasting impression on Hannah Green and now Hira Naveed is ready to shock the world at this week’s Chevron Championship in Texas.
In her second year on the LPGA Tour, Naveed is among the seven Australians who will contest the first LPGA major of the season when it tees off late on Thursday night.
It was at this event 12 months ago that Naveed made her major championship debut, two weeks after finishing runner-up to Nelly Korda in just her second start as an LPGA Tour player.
But for a 27-year-old who lived in the shadows of Green and Minjee Lee coming through the ranks in Western Australia, surprising doubters is nothing new.
In 2015 alone Naveed won the Dunes Medal and the Victorian Junior Masters and was named Western Australia Junior Girls Golfer of the Year.
Rather than an immediate move into the professional ranks, Naveed spent four years at Pepperdine University in California where she was a decorated college player while completing a Communications degree.
Nothing has been gifted to her, yet you sense that Naveed thrives when she has something to fight for.
“I think in WA, we are kind of the underdog and you just have a little extra fire in the belly, chip on the shoulder kind of attitude,” said Naveed.
“I think that’s why we produce a lot of good talent out of WA and that’s why we do well even in the Interstate Series.
“I definitely feel like that, and I think that’s what kind of fuelled me to keep going and to pave my own way.
“It’s only helped me fuel that fire a little bit more and kind of go out and do my own thing.
“Taking that path through college really helped and I’m glad that I did.”
If Naveed is now trying to catch up to the accomplishments of her former WA teammates, her competitiveness certainly has not been forgotten.
In a team that also included Jessica Whitting and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Naveed and Green were part of the WA team that finished second at the Australian Women’s Interstate Teams Matches in 2015, Naveed the only player to go through the week undefeated.
“Hira was always fierce on the golf course,” said Green, who enters the Chevron Championship No.5 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
“She was always a tough person to play match play against. Just very competitive all the time.
“I guess she did somewhat fly under the radar.
“She almost won a tournament last year but she was behind Nelly who was dominating women’s golf at the time.
“She’s got a good strong team around her which is good at such a young age.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Hira, Steph (Kyriacou) or any of the young girls have a good performance in some majors as well.”
Naveed earned her way onto the LPGA Tour last year by shooting 7-under 65 in the sixth and final round of Q-Series at the end of 2023.
Last year’s Chevron Championship was just her third start as an LPGA member so it’s no surprise she feels better prepared 12 months on.
“I didn’t really know what was the best way to prepare and how to approach a major,” admitted Naveed, who tees off alongside Benedetta Moresco and Yu Liu from 12:05am AEST Friday morning.
“I kind of just winged it a little and obviously that’s not something that’s ideal going into a major week.
“Having that experience out here on tour and playing in a bunch of majors last year, knowing how the top players prepare and especially mentally how they prepare, that’s really helped a lot.
“I’ve spoken to a couple of vets out here and how they go about their process and so that’s really helped a lot.
“Definitely much more prepared this year and excited.”
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