Three weeks ago, Natalie Saint Germain was competing in Carlsbad, California, in the NCAA Division I women’s golf championships.
After four years with the University of Houston Athletics, Saint Germain and her teammates had qualified for the national showpiece team event for the first time after finishing second in the regional tournament.
“That was like a dream come true,” the 23-year-old Czech golfer said. “We almost won regionals, but we were still so happy. I made like a long-ish putt for par on the last hole and then we were all just hugging on the green and it was super emotional.”
Saint Germain will make her professional debut at this week’s Raiffeisen Bank Czech Ladies Challenge after concluding her college golf career.
She said: “I’m feeling excited. I know this course pretty well, I’ve played here so many times. And with my family being here too, I think it’s such a nice way to start this whole professional golfer journey.
“With this being my first (pro) tournament, I really just want to enjoy it and learn as much as possible, and then sign up for Q-school and hopefully I can achieve something there.”
Saint Germain’s journey into golf began when her dad bought her a set of plastic golf clubs to practice in their garden, before she started taking lessons and going to summer camps.
Compatriot Anna Andrysova will also be making her professional debut.
Saint Germain added: “I’m so excited to be starting this new era, new phase together with Anna. We were with each other a bunch growing up so it’s nice to share the same experiences and talk about it with someone.
“I just want to give myself some grace and not put so much pressure on myself.”
