Stanford’s Rachel Heck points to experience in second Augusta National Women’s Amateur

When Rachel Heck teed it up at Augusta National Golf Club for the first time last year, her eyes were wide open.

With arguably the quote of the 2021 tournament, she recalled an exchange with her father and caddie from Friday’s practice round, when they mentioned the idea of laying up when it made sense.

“Are you kidding me,” she said, laughing. “I’m trying to have fun here. I’m playing Augusta National. I want to go for it.”

Fast forward to this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where the Stanford sophomore has entered the event as the reigning NCAA champion and is using that experience to narrow her focus this week.

“I think it’s really nice having seen the courses before,” she said. “I know what I’m getting into, and I know the pressure is going to be a lot these first two days because everyone of course wants to make it to Augusta. Having handled that pressure before is really important.”

Rachel Heck of Tennessee lines up her putt during the first round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

She used that experience in Wednesday’s opening round, shooting 73 at Champions Retreat for a tie for ninth. She used back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to get back to even par for the day before a closing bogey.

“I had a good little run on the back nine. I had a really good par save on 11, got up and down from that bunker, made a good 5-footer for par on 12, then made two 15-footers on 13 and 14,” she said. “It was really good to get the momentum going because in the round I hadn’t had a whole lot drop. I was feeling a little frustrated with where my score is at. It was good to have a few birdies in there.”

Like last year, her father, Robert, is on the bag for the first two rounds at Champions Retreat.

“It’s really special. We’re walking down 18 talking about how he’s been there every step of the way,” she said. “I’m a sophomore in college, and I’ll have two more years of him caddying for me before we move on to the next step. So we just try to cherish these moments together.”

ANWA: Two tied for lead after first round

Also like last year, he’s relinquishing the bag to an Augusta National Golf Club caddie come Friday. It’s a mutual decision Heck and her father made a year ago.

“No. I love my dad, but that’s not good for our relationship,” she said, jokingly. “He doesn’t want any part of that. He wants to go watch his daughter play Augusta if I make it.”

Heck started out this spring collegiate season strong. She began February with a win, a solid match-play performance against San Jose State, and a school-record, 18-under-par performance.

She followed it up, however, with tournament scores of 8-over par and 11-over. There were questions about her season, but her round Wednesday proved she can quickly find her game.

“Yeah, that’s just golf. It’s going to be up and down,” she said. “I had a good couple tournaments and a couple bad ones. I’m working through some stuff on my swing, and I’m really happy with where it’s at right now. It was good to put a solid round up there today.”