PARRISH, Fla. — Sixty four one-armed golfers will compete this weekend in the USGA’s Adaptive Sports Winter Regionals Golf Tournament at the Club at River Wilderness.

It’s the second largest tournament of its kind. One local golfer plans on climbing in the national and International rankings.

Xander Dobreff was a scratch golfer prior to an auto accident in 2009.

He suffered severe injuries, but doctors rebuilt his left arm.

With metal plates and screws, Dobreff could keep his arm, but it became useless in swinging a golf club.

“With vibration, if I re-break it, there’s nothing to fix it,” Dobreff said.

Shortly after his accident, Dobreff got back on the golf course and had something to prove.

He isn’t a scratch golfer anymore, but his handicap of three puts him in the top 7 percent of golfers that play the game.

In the USGA’s Adaptive Sports rankings for golf, Dobreff is in the top 10 nationwide, and hopes a win this weekend helps him climb in the world rankings.

Dobreff said he enjoys golf more than he did before the accident, learning to take the game less seriously.

“It’s good I get to hold my kids. I can beat all my friends with one arm and I can hold a beer,” he said.

Golf is a tough sport with no disabilities, but Dobreff said the challenges in the game prepared him for what would come after the accident.

He lives his life just as he plays golf, knowing the most important shot he takes is the next one.

“I recently heard a really good phrase for what golf stands for,” he said. “Game of life first, right? I think that over time and the humbling that’s happened through my life, I’d say that, yeah, absolutely.”

The North American One-Armed Golfer Winter Regional tees off on Saturday at The Club at River Wilderness, and runs through Sunday.