SAN FRANCISCO – Rachel Heck’s incredible streak of strong play could only be stopped by one thing: a positive COVID-19 test. At least that’s what it seemed for a scary 24-hour period during which the Stanford freshman called her mother in the middle of the night in Memphis with the news.
She went into a quarantine dorm for a brief spell but ended up being cleared before she had to spend the night. (There’d been an entire batch of false positives.)
Heck came to The Olympic Club in the midst of final exams. Her stuff is packed up in boxes and sitting in an empty dorm room, ready to be shipped back to Tennessee. She has a paper due in a political science class that she told herself she’d write on Monday, but then didn’t start it until Tuesday and it’s due on Friday.
“That’s the plan, to finish it today,” she said. “Will it happen? No. But that’s the plan.”
Heck won her last six college tournaments, including the NCAA Championship, plus a 36-hole sectional qualifier to get into 76th U.S. Women’s Open. Included in her college streak is a one-day tournament here at Olympic where she shot 66 on a brutally cold day. This, however, is not the same course she saw on May 5.
“When we hit it in the rough a month ago it was fine,” she said, “you would just hit it on the green from there. It’s a little different story this week.”
On Sunday, Heck hit it into the left rough off the tee and took out her 5-iron. She only advanced it 40 yards in the rough. She proceeded to hit the next shot into the right-hand rough and by then had gotten the point.
“It was good for me, I think,” she said.
Good luck to our Cardinal (and other future Cardinal
) playing in this week’s @uswomensopen at @TheOlympicClub!
7:00 (9) » Aline Krauter
8:06 (9) » @rachelheck2020
2:02 (1) » Rose Zhang#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/wKcgsAF1on— Stanford Women’s Golf (@StanfordWGolf) June 2, 2021
There are 30 amateurs in the field this week and three will wear logos from nearby Stanford. Heck is joined by Women’s British Amateur champ Aline Krauter and incoming freshman Rose Zhang, the No. 1 amateur in the world. Heck is No. 2.
Only one amateur has ever won the U.S. Women’s Open, Catherine Lacoste in 1968. Morgan Pressel, who is working for NBC this week, came awfully close in 2005 and said the rough at Olympic reminds her of what she saw at Cherry Hills when she lost a heartbreaker to Birdie Kim.
Could an amateur win again?
“Yes, I don’t see why not,” Pressel texted.
Seven amateurs have finished second or in a share of second over the years, most recently Hye-Jin Choi in 2017.
“I think everyone has a dream of winning a major, winning the U.S. Open,” said Rose Zhang, who finished 11th at the 2020 ANA Inspiration.
Zhang will be a freshman at Stanford in the fall. Cardinal coach Anne Walker plans to be out watching her players at Olympic on Thursday. The consistent Zhang stays out of trouble and is especially deadly on the greens from inside 15 feet. But even those probably aren’t her strongest assets.
“She has great control of her mind,” said Walker, “incredible discipline.”
Rose Zhang hits a shot on the 3rd tee during a practice round at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Darren Carroll/USGA)
Both Heck and Zhang will have their fathers on the bag this week. Heck’s entire family is in town for the occasion including boyfriend Sam Killebrew, who just finished up his sophomore year at West Point. Killebrew’s commitment to serve inspired Heck to join the Air Force ROTC program at Stanford.
On her way to the course Wednesday morning, Heck listened to the hype list her team made on the way to nationals. Walker encouraged Heck to take a little time away from the game in between last week’s NCAA Championship and the USWO, noting how pivotal that proved between regionals and nationals.
“It’s hard not to be energized and excited when you’re at the U.S. Women’s Open,” Heck noted.
Left to right: sisters Abby and Anna, mom Stacy, boyfriend Sam Killebrew, Rachel, dad Robert (photo Leia Schwartz/LPGA)
After this week, Heck stays on in the Bay Area to play the LPGA Mediheal Championship at nearby Lake Merced. She also has a sponsor exemption into the Marathon Classic in early July.
Heck first qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017 at age 15. She tied for 33rd that year. The humble Heck isn’t one to make a big fuss over her recent success or throw out any bold predictions. Her main focus: enjoying the walk.
“It’s so special,” she said. “I watched this every year growing up, and I just aspired to be one of the players out there. To actually have that opportunity as an amateur is pretty unreal.”