AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Rachel Heck prepares for the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, a decision made weeks ago will come into play Saturday.
Rachel’s father, Robert, caddied for her during the first two rounds at Champions Retreat, but they made the mutual decision to use an Augusta National caddie for Friday’s practice round and the final round.
“It might jeopardize our father-daughter relationship if he was telling me where to putt on those greens, so we thought it was best to get someone who knows what they’re doing,” Rachel said, jokingly.
How to watch: TV info for Augusta National Women’s Amateur
The Stanford freshman enters the final round in a tie for eighth at 2-over par, three shots behind co-leaders Rose Zhang and Ingrid Lindblad. Playing the course for the first time right before a competitive round doesn’t leave much time to learn the nuances, so Robert said it was an easy decision.
“It was quite easy. This course is just different,” he said. “Like I said, I’m always on the bag for her, but this course is just so different I think I’d be doing her a disservice being on the bag. I’m actually really going to enjoy being a dad and cheering for her and not have to feel the pressure of helping her navigate this course.”
The Hecks have always been on the course together, and it has much more to do with family than the game of golf.
“It’s one of the bonding experiences that we have,” he said. “We enjoy doing this together. There’s no pressure, we go out and we have fun and some of the best memories of my life are being on the bag with her.”
After spending the fall semester at home, this is the first real stretch Rachel has spent away from her parents. Plus, the trek from Memphis, Tenn., to Palo Alto, Calif. is no small journey. This week was a way for her to reconnect with her family again.
It’s so nice catching up with him,” she said. “I’ve been in college the past two months and that’s the longest I’ve been away from them. It was so much fun just catching up and walking down the fairways. He’s a good caddie.”
Between the lines, Rachel said the course was everything she heard and more, adding that watching the Masters on TV doesn’t do the elevation changes any justice. She enjoyed it so much, it was hard to focus on studying the course.
“My little sister was carrying a camera and every five minutes I was like, ‘Anna, take a picture of this. Take a picture of this,’” she said. “So it was a little hard to really focus on really getting a feel for the course, but what’s more important, you know? I’m just going to soak it all in.”
Rachel Heck plays a stroke from a bunker on the No. 10 hole during a practice round for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Friday, April 2, 2021. (Photo: ANWA)
That said, she wants to be aggressive when she can. Chances to play courses of this magnitude don’t come up often and she knows it.
“My dad was walking with my caddie and we were talking about laying up and I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m trying to have fun here. I’m playing Augusta National. I want to go for it,’” she said. “So, we’ll try to make some smart decisions but it might be fun to go for some.”
Now, Robert can get back to the role of a nervous father as he watches his daughter tee it up at Augusta National.
“I’m always nervous when she’s playing, much more so than she is,” he said. “People ask when I’m caddying for her, ‘Do you keep Rachel calm?’ No, she keeps me calm. I don’t know a parent of an athlete who doesn’t get nervous watching their kid play. That having been said, I’m just so excited about watching her play, regardless of the outcome.”