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 “welcome to womanhood” 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.
“Went to my first gynecologist appointment,” Schmelzel explained. “She said, ‘Welcome to womanhood’ when I told her all of my symptoms.”
It’s a remark arguably no one should hear after explaining ailments to a doctor, but it was especially devastating in Schmelzel’s 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.
“My mom had endometriosis and she had quite a journey with it as well,” said Schmelzel, who repeatedly asked doctors over the years if she might have it too. “It was always, you know, ‘Let’s not really think about that.’ ‘We don’t know.’ ‘There’s a lot that goes into that.’ ‘Probably not.’”
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.
“The more that you kind of like bare yourself to providers, doctors, just saying, ‘Hey, I really feel like I have this thing, can you do another imaging on it,’ and they do more imaging and they don’t see it, you’re like, ‘OK, I guess I don’t have it,’” Schmelzel explained.
“I guess the fact that I think I have it is crazy of me.”
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.
“It 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,” she said of her complicated relationship between her health and golf at the time.
By 2024, she was at the peak of her career. Schmelzel finished runner-up at the Blue Bay LPGA 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.
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.
“There were many, many, many rounds and tournaments where I was like, this week is going to be hell,” said Schmelzel, who chronicled her health journey in the LPGA’s “Drive On” series (video above). “I’m on my period. I knew what it was going to be like, but because I didn’t have any explanation as to what was causing all of my pain, I didn’t feel like I could use it as something that was an excuse.”
“I just need to be a lot tougher than I’m being right now because nothing’s wrong with you,” she would tell herself.
In both 2024 and ’25, she ended up in the emergency room due to ovarian cysts, but at the time was still told nothing pointed at endometriosis. Afterward, Schmelzel’s excruciating pain and discomfort grew to the point that she said she could barely function.
“I can’t live another day feeling like this anymore,” Schmelzel said she told herself. “It 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’t when I was on my period if I was home and not at a golf tournament.”
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.
Surgical procedures confirmed that the cysts she had on her ovaries, which had previously landed her in the hospital, had actually ruptured and had leaked endometriosis over her pelvis. While there’s 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.
She was finally on the road to recovery.
“I’m just very grateful to be in the position that I’m in,” Schmelzel said of her current outlook. “To get this like new lease on life of, I’ve got answers, I know what they mean for me down the road and it’s getting me to a place where I’ve never felt as good as this before.”
She’s still very much in the thick of training, therapy and practice and admits while some days she feels the best she’s felt since her health crisis began, it’s been an extremely challenging process post-surgeries.
“I had points where I’ve 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,” Schmelzel said of her game. “It’s been a huge roller coaster.”
At this point in the story, it’s no surprise that Schmelzel’s professional goals haven’t changed and that she remains excited for what’s to come.
“I still want to win. I still want to compete,” she said. “And I’m just happy to do that with a little bit different — out of a clearer lens.”
After missing all of 2026 to recover, Schmelzel plans to return to the LPGA at the start of the 2027 season and says she’d give anything to play in another Solheim Cup the following year.
“I’m just really excited to get back out. I’m really hopeful for a life on tour and a season on tour where I feel really good,” she added.
In addition to returning to the game she loves, she’s determined to shed light on endometriosis and women’s reproductive health. Schmelzel does not want other women to endure the fight she did and explained, “If you’re being diligent, going to the doctor, advocating for yourself, you need to be heard.”
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’s also hopeful that in sharing her story, she can help make the process less frustrating and less isolating for other women.
“Don’t give up, there are doctors out there that will help you, there’s specialists that will help you, there are therapists that will help you,” Schmelzel explained.
“You can’t 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’s tough to have to keep fighting like hell, but it’s worth it in the end.”