Rachel Heck has had an incredibly successful and impressive golf career leading up to her senior year at Stanford. She has made history at the university, being the first woman to ever win an individual NCAA title, and was making a name for herself at 15 in the USGA when she made the cut at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open. Despite these accomplishments, Heck has no plans of turning pro after graduation this spring.
In a first person story for nolayingup.com, she stated that her intentions are to become an Air Force lieutenant and start a career outside of golf. Heck cites a back injury that prevented her from playing at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur as the first time she thought about who she was outside of the sport of golf. From there on out, the sport didn’t feel the same for her.
“Even when I was able to start playing again, I knew something was not right,” Heck said. “I did not recognize myself anymore, on or off the course. All my joy was gone, and all my smiles were fake. That fall, I became severely depressed. In that period of darkness, I realized I needed something more than golf, and I vowed that I would find it.”
Find it she did. In her junior year of high school, Heck started dating her boyfriend Sam Killebrew, a student at West Point. She took immediate interest in the military once she started doing research to better support her boyfriend. She developed a deep admiration for him and everyone who serves, falling in love with their values and wanting to incorporate them into her own life. In her freshman year, Heck joined the ROTC program offered at Stanford. In spite of the commitment to both the program and her academics, Heck went on to set an NCAA scoring record of 69.72, win six times, five of which were back to back at the close of the season, in just her first year. In the postseason, Heck did not slow down, winning medalist honors at the Pac-12 Championships, NCAA regionals, and nationals.
Injuries started to build though for the amateur. Alongside Rose Zhang and the rest of the women’s golf team, Heck solidified Stanford’s NCAA team title in 2022 before being sidelined from March to August in 2023 after undergoing surgery to remove a rib. The surgery was done to help treat thoracic outlet syndrome, a syndrome where one’s nerves and blood vessels are compressed. This led to her only playing 10 rounds all of her junior year. During recovery, Heck had much time to reflect on her golf career and her passions in life. She felt an array of emotions during her time away from the sport, her mind going to dark places. Heck’s absence from the sport made her realize how much she didn’t want it to be her life path.
“… I have come to realize that I do not want to play professional golf. I do not want a life on the road and in the public eye… I no longer dream of the U.S. Open trophies and the Hall of Fame. And I realize now that these dreams were never what my dad intended when he first put a club in my hand. He pushed me when I was young so that I could find myself in the position I am right now: Stepping into the future equipped with the skills to tackle any challenge and the courage to pave my own path,” she adds.
Throughout all of her accomplishments in the sport of golf, from becoming the third player to win a NCAA championship, NCAA regional and conference title in the same season, to winning an Annika Award which is given to the best Division 1 women’s golfer, to playing in the Evian Championship in 2018 and making the cut as a high school sophomore, Heck’s family has always said: life is long and no one talent defines you. Golf is just one piece of you. Golf runs in Heck’s family, with her two other sisters also being talented golfers at their respective universities and her father Robert playing college golf. Heck put a lot of pressure on herself in her early amateur years, demanding a win at every tournament she played. But now, as her interests have shifted beyond golf, she is able to take time off from the sport and relearn why she loves the sport.
Heck’s infectious positivity and constant smile are always on display for her teammates, coaches, and anyone who sees her play. With her upbeat attitude, hard work ethic, and talent, there is no doubt that Rachel Heck will go far in whatever avenue she chooses to pursue, golf or Air Force. For fans of Rachel Heck, it will be exciting to see what the future has in store for her.
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