For LPGA Tour golfer Sarah Schmelzel, competing at the highest level meant fighting a battle that spectators could not see. For years, severe pain followed her from everyday life onto the golf course, leaving her unsure how her body would respond each morning. The 32-year-old finally received answers in 2025, when surgery revealed stage IV endometriosis and adenomyosis. Now, after stepping away from professional golf to focus on her health, Schmelzel is preparing for a possible return in 2027. She is also sharing her story to help other women feel less alone.
Sarah Schmelzel reveals the impact of stage IV endometriosis
Schmelzel spent years seeking answers for pain that increasingly affected her daily routine and professional career. Despite medical consultations, a clear diagnosis remained out of reach. The uncertainty became especially difficult as she tried to compete against some of the world’s best golfers.“Is my body going to work for me or against me today?” the 32-year-old athlete recalled in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “Am I going to be able to complete anything from daily tasks to being able to go perform at the highest level?”Her symptoms became so severe that golf sometimes turned into a countdown until she could rest. She described constantly thinking about her pain, even while competing.“The symptoms that I had were really on my mind twenty-four seven. I was constantly aware of how my body felt and how much pain I was in,” Schmelzel says. “When I would be on the golf course, it would really turn into a countdown of how many holes do I have left? How close am I to getting back in bed or sitting down? At its worst, every step I took, I could feel something.”The situation reached a breaking point during the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea in 2025. Schmelzel said she could barely leave her hotel room and had to ask her parents for help.She underwent surgery in December 2025. The procedure included removing her appendix and cysts from both ovaries. Doctors also found extensive endometriosis and scar tissue affecting several pelvic organs.“Just hearing that, that was the first sense of validation, going into surgery and getting the diagnosis of it was stage four and I have adenomyosis,” Schmelzel says, adding, “Almost like relief of 15 years of trying to convince myself it wasn’t as bad as it was to, ‘Oh my gosh, it was as bad as it was.’ ”
Sarah Schmelzel targets a 2027 LPGA Tour comeback
Before her health struggles forced her to step back, Schmelzel had built a strong career. She played college golf at the University of South Carolina, joined the LPGA Tour in 2019 and recorded seven top-10 finishes. She also represented the United States at the 2024 Solheim Cup.Now, she hopes to return to competition in 2027 with a clearer understanding of her health. She is also sharing her experience through Playing Through: The Sarah Schmelzel Story to raise awareness and help others facing similar uncertainty.“When I was going through it at the time, and throughout my journey of trying to get to a diagnosis, the thing that helped me so much was scrolling Instagram, scrolling TikTok, and seeing someone talk about their experience. It was something that really made me feel seen,” Schmelzel says.“And so, when I finally got that validity of a diagnosis, I knew that I wanted to help people like myself feel seen in their process in a time where you feel so isolated and misunderstood.”Although she admits feeling nervous about returning after such a long break, Schmelzel says the experience has changed how she approaches her career and wellbeing.“I think in order for me to be the best version of myself, this had to happen to me,” Schmelzel says. “I was in such a state of pushing through everything, and this has really shown me how to slow down, how to take care of myself, how to listen to myself, how to listen to my body.”Her comeback remains a goal rather than a certainty, but she now has answers that eluded her for years. For Schmelzel, the next chapter is about more than golf. It is about learning to compete without allowing pain to define every day.