Sarah Schmelzel, who was an LPGA rookie in 2019, played collegiate golf at the University of South Carolina. Over that offseason, she began working with swing instructor Chris Mayson, who helps a number of players on tour including Alison Lee.
Schmelzel, born in 1994, grew up playing one of the few tree-lined courses in Phoenix, Moon Valley Country Club. She was there in March 2001 when Annika Sorenstam carded the only 59 in LPGA history. Schmelzel’s parents have been members there since the late ’90s, and one of the guys in the bag room called her father and told him to bring the kids out. Something special was brewing.
Schmelzel, who is looking for her first LPGA title, had a stretch of four top-8 finishes early in the 2024 season that included a career-best second place at the Blue Bay LPGA in China.
Here is a look at Schmelzel’s career in photos.