Heck says no to turning pro

EVANS, GEORGIA | There was a time when it seemed unthinkable that Rachel Heck was anything other than a can’t-miss professional superstar.
The résumé screamed “sure thing” at the next level. The five-time junior all-American and 2017 AJGA player of the year seamlessly transitioned into superstar collegian, winning the Pac-12 Conference championship, NCAA regional and NCAA individual title to cap off a six-victory freshman season at Stanford and be named the Annika Award winner as the top female college golfer of the year in 2021. Like her future teammate Rose Zhang, Heck was destined for golf greatness.
While a string of injuries since the all-everything freshman campaign stymied her upward trajectory, it was her heart that changed her outlook on the game she at times so easily dominated. A week before making her fourth start in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Heck penned a story on NoLayingUp.com declaring that she would not pursue a professional golf career after she graduates from Stanford this spring.

“I was strongly consid...