WINDSOR, Ont. - The St. Clair College Department of Athletics is excited to announce that they will have an outstanding guest speaker at the upcoming OCAA Golf Championships being hosted at Roseland Golf and Curling Club from October 1-3, 2012.

Windsor native Natalia Ghilzon will be speaking to the participants during the championship banquet on Tuesday, October 2 at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts. Ghilzon recently took part on the Golf Channel's Big Break Atlantis reality TV show. She will be speaking to the student athletes about her experience on Big Break and her golfing career including how she had to deal with a major setback and injury. She is currently training hard and practicing to earn a spot on the Symetra Tour and eventually the LPGA Tour.

Ghilzon was introduced to golf by her father, first picking up a golf club when she was three years old. A natural athlete, in addition to golf she played a number of sports growing up, including basketball, volleyball, track and soccer. At age 11, she started competing in golf tournaments, defeating girls who were three and four years older.

"Ever since I started being competitive at golf, I wanted this to be my career," she said.

Fast forward to 2009. Ghilzon had just finished her first year at Oakland University in Michigan. In July of that year, she started suffering pain in her left wrist. Determined to play through the pain, she continued to compete in tournaments, but her scores were telling her something was wrong.

After months of X-rays, she discovered she was missing some bone in her left wrist.

"I was devastated, and thought it was the end of my golf career."

Surgery was the only option to relieve the pain so she could resume to resume her career. She underwent surgery in September, 2009, and withdrew from Oakland University to rehabilitate. In what was the most difficult time in her life, she now looks back on it as a blessing. During that time, she discovered patience.

"I have never been one to be patient with anything, but I knew I needed to be when it came to my wrist," said Ghilzon. "When I was able to resume practicing, I felt like I had a clean slate and was starting fresh. That was a great feeling."

In 2011, Ghilzon resumed competitive golf for the first time in nearly two years. She played a limited schedule, continuing to practice and undergoing physical therapy. While she wasn't particularly happy with her results, she loved being back on the course.

"Those two years were a very difficult time for me, both emotionally and physically," explained Ghilzon. "That is all in the past. This year is a new beginning for me, and it all started in December when I got the call that I was going to be on Big Break. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Source: St. Clair College

Photo Credit: Golf Channel