{"id":858081,"date":"2026-09-23T18:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T18:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858081\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T18:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T18:52:13","slug":"sarah-schmelzel-details-15-year-health-battle-with-plans-to-return-to-lpga-in-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858081\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Schmelzel details 15-year health battle with plans to return to LPGA in 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adolescence can be a tough time for any young girl, as the body begins to undergo the changes of puberty and maturation into womanhood. However, for LPGA Tour player Sarah Schmelzel, her \u201cwelcome to womanhood\u201d was far from the typical experience her friends were having, and she knew right away something was different. Unfortunately, her health concerns were dismissed from the onset, and it would take 15 isolating years to find answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWent to my first gynecologist appointment,\u201d Schmelzel explained. \u201cShe said, \u2018Welcome to womanhood\u2019 when I told her all of my symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a remark arguably no one should hear after explaining ailments to a doctor, but it was especially devastating in Schmelzel\u2019s case since she had a family history of endometriosis, a chronic disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. The condition is found in approximately 10% of women and can cause extreme pain, heavy menstrual bleeding and infertility, as well as other complications.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom had endometriosis and she had quite a journey with it as well,\u201d said Schmelzel, who repeatedly asked doctors over the years if she might have it too. \u201cIt was always, you know, \u2018Let\u2019s not really think about that.\u2019 \u2018We don\u2019t know.\u2019 \u2018There\u2019s a lot that goes into that.\u2019 \u2018Probably not.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmelzel was prescribed birth control and tried naturopathic remedies and acupuncture through high school and while playing college golf at the University of South Carolina. She said nothing really suppressed her heavy periods or took away the intense bodily pain. Her symptoms, meanwhile, got progressively worse and despite continued medical testing, she remained without a diagnosis nor any answers which led to self-doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more that you kind of like bare yourself to providers, doctors, just saying, \u2018Hey, I really feel like I have this thing, can you do another imaging on it,\u2019 and they do more imaging and they don\u2019t see it, you\u2019re like, \u2018OK, I guess I don\u2019t have it,\u2019\u201d Schmelzel explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess the fact that I think I have it is crazy of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spite of the pain, the doubt and the exhaustive search for answers, she joined the LPGA Tour in 2019 at age 24 after two successful seasons on the Epson Tour. She quickly began to make her mark and made the cut in 20 out of 25 events as a rookie. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like the only thing that was important was putting up a good golf score because that proved that I was OK. Like, that proved to myself I could overcome this,\u201d she said of her complicated relationship between her health and golf at the time.<\/p>\n

By 2024, she was at the peak of her career. Schmelzel finished runner-up at the Blue Bay LPGA<\/a> and notched seven top-10 finishes that season. To top it off, in a dream come true, she helped lead the United States to a Solheim Cup victory on home turf that year.<\/a><\/p>\n

Through the highs on the course, a cloud still hung over her as she fought her personal health battle and even criticized herself for being weak. No matter how well she played or how hard she fought, she said it was impossible to outrun her debilitating symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were many, many, many rounds and tournaments where I was like, this week is going to be hell,\u201d said Schmelzel, who chronicled her health journey in an LPGA feature video (above). \u201cI\u2019m on my period. I knew what it was going to be like, but because I didn\u2019t have any explanation as to what was causing all of my pain, I didn\u2019t feel like I could use it as something that was an excuse.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI just need to be a lot tougher than I\u2019m being right now because nothing\u2019s wrong with you,\u201d she would tell herself.<\/p>\n

In both 2024 and \u201925, she ended up in the emergency room due to ovarian cysts, but at the time was still told nothing pointed at endometriosis. Afterward, Schmelzel\u2019s excruciating pain and discomfort grew to the point that she said she could barely function.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t live another day feeling like this anymore,\u201d Schmelzel said she told herself. \u201cIt was so far beyond golf. It was far beyond performance. It was like I can barely get out of bed on days, and many days I wouldn\u2019t when I was on my period if I was home and not at a golf tournament.\u201d <\/p>\n

Finally, in December 2025, the 31-year-old underwent multiple surgeries with Dr. Laurence Orbuch, and after 15 years of searching, she finally had a diagnosis: Stage IV endometriosis.<\/p>\n

Surgical procedures confirmed the endometriomas she had in her ovaries, which had previously landed her in the hospital, had actually ruptured and had leaked endometriosis over her pelvis. While there\u2019s no cure for the disease, Schmelzel had the endometrial tissue removed through excision surgery, in addition to a cystectomy and an appendectomy to restore the anatomy of her pelvis.<\/p>\n

She was finally on the road to recovery.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"schemlzel_hospital_screenshot.png\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just very grateful to be in the position that I\u2019m in,\u201d Schmelzel said of her current outlook. \u201cTo get this like new lease on life of, I\u2019ve got answers, I know what they mean for me down the road and it\u2019s getting me to a place where I\u2019ve never felt as good as this before.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s still very much in the thick of training, therapy and practice and admits while some days she feels the best she\u2019s felt since her health crisis began, it\u2019s been an extremely challenging process post-surgeries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had points where I\u2019ve built all the way back up to hitting full shots and hitting drivers and had to come all the way back down again to hitting wedges,\u201d Schmelzel said of her game. \u201cIt\u2019s been a huge roller coaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point in the story, it\u2019s no surprise that Schmelzel\u2019s professional goals haven\u2019t changed and that she remains excited for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still want to win. I still want to compete,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m just happy to do that with a little bit different \u2014 out of a clearer lens.\u201d<\/p>\n

After missing all of 2026 to recover, Schmelzel plans to return to the LPGA at the start of the 2027 season and says she\u2019d give anything to play in another Solheim Cup the following year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just really excited to get back out. I\u2019m really hopeful for a life on tour and a season on tour where I feel really good,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

In addition to returning to the game she loves, she\u2019s determined to shed light on endometriosis and women\u2019s reproductive health. Schmelzel does not want other women to endure the fight she did and explained, \u201cIf you\u2019re being diligent, going to the doctor, advocating for yourself, you need to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmelzel hopes that bringing awareness to the disease and its impact on the body will lead to a larger conversation on finding a cure and better treatment, as well as increased funding to make these advancements. She\u2019s also hopeful that in sharing her story, she can help make the process less frustrating and less isolating for other women.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t give up, there are doctors out there that will help you, there\u2019s specialists that will help you, there are therapists that will help you,\u201d Schmelzel explained. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t stop fighting for yourself because there is relief on the other side of it and there is light at the other end of the tunnel and, you know, it\u2019s tough to have to keep fighting like hell, but it\u2019s worth it in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Adolescence can be a tough time for any young girl, as the body begins to undergo the changes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-858081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}