Nataliya Guseva has jumped into the pro scene this year. Having made her debut back in January 2024, Guseva has had a tremendous rookie season. At the young age of 21, she has already had 4 top-10 finishes. She has gone head-on against the likes of Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, and many top pros during those top-half finishes. It’s safe to say that she is an incredibly skilled player.

And her fellow pros are not the only ones who have been caught by surprise. Fans have also enjoyed watching her play in the LPGA this year and she is slowly building a fanbase of her own. But considering her education and background since 2020, many have been left wondering if she is an American. To answer their questions, let’s explore the ethnicity, background, and life of Nataliya Guseva.

Nataliya Guseva, a rising star

Little is known about Guseva’s family but we know that she was born and brought up in Moscow, Russia. According to the information provided on her website, Nataliya Guseva started her journey in golf when she was only 10. She joined the Moscow School of the Olympic Reserve in 2013. What started as a passion turned into an addiction as no one has been able to pull her away from the clubs since then. In fact, she got so good in just one year that she joined the Russian national team at the age of 11.

Throughout her development from her youth years, she continued to excel in academics. She graduated from her school in Moscow in 2020. Soon after, she was accepted into the University of Miami where she spent most of her junior years. However, she was also accepted to another university as Guseva said, “I even had one foot in Stanford, but I became so close friends with my coach, who literally became my mentor, leading me along the professional path, that’s why I decided to enter the University of Miami“.

Her coach also started calling her ‘Goose’ during this time. She studied the Sports Management and Marketing program at the university. Along the way, she also picked up the American culture and life quite quickly. Many golf enthusiasts have already mistaken her to be from the United States.

Guseva was named the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2021. She started achieving a lot more success in golf soon after she became the first Russian woman on the Epson Tour. Guseva also managed to bag the largest prize money in the Tour’s history. She broke into the Top 50 WAGR leaderboard. A 19-year-old Guseva went on to win the Eastern Amateur Champion and 3x East Coast Professional Tour Champion. Two years later, at the beginning of 2024, she got her LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour cards.

Speaking of her goals in golf, Nataliya Guseva said, “I set the goal of becoming number 1 in the world one day. Some people say it’s impossible, but for me, anything is possible! I will always work hard to fulfill my dreams!” We can say that she is well on her way to achieving her dream. Those who have seen her play already know that she is a future great!

So the question is, when will she win her first pro tournament? She has three LPGA events to play this year and the 2024 Lotte Championship is probably her best opportunity considering the absence of Nelly Korda and co. Do you think she will win it this year or will we see her lifting her first championship in 2025? Let us know in the comments section.