This week was supposed to be a special occasion for Katie Scheck, working through her final preparation in anticipation of next week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur that will unfold a short distance from her Ooltewah home.

Instead, Scheck finds herself still wondering what it will be like to someday play The Honors Course, which is hosting its seventh USGA championship, after wrestling with her decision to withdraw from the tournament due to a medical procedure she had performed earlier this summer.

Moments after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in early May, a singular thought rushed to the forefront of Scheck’s mind during her jubilant celebration with partner Morgan Ellison.

Among the rewards for her victory at Daniel Island Club in South Carolina was an exemption into this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, which alone was a big deal. What made the invitation even sweeter was the fact that the championship would take place in Ooltewah at The Honors Course.

It was a dream come true for the 23-year-old Scheck, who had never played The Honors since her parents relocated to the area from Georgia four years ago. She could see the revered Pete Dye masterpiece in the valley below from the back of her parents’ home, but the thought of playing in the Women’s Amateur while sleeping in her own bed each night seemed almost surreal.

Unfortunately, Scheck will not be listed among the 156 participants at The Honors Course. Her summer of anticipation turned into months of recovery, prompting her to surrender her hard-earned berth in the upcoming championship.

“It was difficult,” Scheck said. “It's every amateur's dream to play in such an amazing, prestigious tournament. But I knew realistically there was no way I was gonna get into the shape that I was in at Daniel Island. No amount of practice was going to make up for the fact that I’ve done no tournament prep in the last eight weeks.”

Nothing has ever come easy for Scheck. From her earliest days she has been forced to overcome adversity, spending a lifetime navigating challenges related to a genetic heart abnormality. She had surgery when she was only six months old to repair a hole in her heart. After further testing given her family history, Scheck had a defibrillator implanted a few years later along with her father and younger sister, Kelli.

“With my family history, what I've impressed upon the girls that you know you have a life-saving device in you now,” Katie’s father, Kevin, said. “So, there's really no reason for you not to live your life. It's a mindset. Carolyn and I always framed for the girls that you can't live in fear because living in a bubble is no way to live.”

Katie was able to lead a normal life since the procedure with her only limitation being the avoidance of contact sports. Golf became her competitive outlet, and she and Kelli became accomplished state champion junior golfers in Georgia at Lake Oconee Academy when the family relocated there from Chicago in 2014. After two seasons at Penn State, Katie transferred to Mercer where she was a two-time All-Southern Conference performer as she completed her eligibility this spring.

She and Ellison, a native of Peachtree City who met Scheck through Georgia junior golf, earned a spot in the Women’s Four-Ball after winning a three-way playoff for the final qualifier slot last September. With her first USGA national tournament on the horizon along with the SoCon championship, Katie was excited about her upcoming schedule before everything changed in April.

She received an unexpected warning signal from her monitoring device, and repeated alarms prompted a call to her cardiac care team in Atlanta. She drove from Macon the next day to discover that a lead wire into her heart had fractured, possibly caused by the repeated motion of her golf swing. Concerns about the false positive diagnosis could result in her defibrillator firing, so replacing the sensor was critical.

Given her upcoming schedule that also included her graduation from Mercer, Katie was given a month before the surgery was required. However, her device would be turned off during this period.

“I was aware that my safety net wasn't there anymore,” Katie said. “It's not like I'm a CrossFitter and I do all these extreme things. I've played in intense heat before and been fine. I'm asymptomatic, so I'm very grateful my device never fired. I just kind of did my thing and I didn't want to think about it and play with fear.”

While preparing for the Women’s Four-Ball taking place in Charleston, Katie received another surprise when she and Ellison attended an Asian-styled luncheon with their mothers.

“Everyone grabbed a fortune cookie, and I opened mine and it said, ‘You will receive some prestigious prize or award within the month,’” Katie recalled. “Morgan's mom said, ‘Do not throw that away!’, so I kept it with me in my bag for the whole tournament.”

That glimpse into Katie’s future proved to be prophetic. She and Ellison were seeded third after stroke play then went on to win five straight matches to claim the title. The pair set a new tournament record with their 92 holes played, winning the championship match when Ellison drained a birdie putt on the 19^th hole.

Kevin served as her caddie for the week, walking each step of their 146 holes played including the practice round.

“I was on cloud nine,” Kevin said. “Besides the girls being born and my wedding day, it was the best day of my life. Once we got into match play, I felt like we were playing with house money. Katie and Morgan were loose and just playing golf. They were 3-down with six to play in one match and ran off four birdies in a row. I was there to offer support and to just kind of kind of set the mood.”

It was brought to Katie’s attention during the Four-Ball that the champions were exempted into the Women’s Amateur, making her celebration even sweeter. The fact it would take place at The Honors Course near her parents’ home was the icing on the cake.

However, Katie first had to return to Atlanta to take care of her medical issues, hoping that it would not interfere with her Women’s Amateur preparation plans. But the procedure was more invasive than she had hoped for, resulting in an extended recovery time of eight weeks where she was allowed minimal movement of her left shoulder. Once she was finally cleared, it left her less than a month to get her game back into championship form.

After many long discussions with her parents, Katie decided to withdraw from the Women’s Amateur. Seeing his daughter navigate through arriving at her final decision was meaningful for Kevin.

“We agreed with her decision, but the integrity she showed in the process made us very proud,” Kevin said. “She wants to play her best, and she doesn't want to embarrass herself. Even though it’s right here in her hometown, she respects the game of golf and the importance of the tournament too much to take away from it.”

Despite being unable to compete in the tournament, Katie has a peace about her decision knowing that someone else will benefit from her choice. But more importantly, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate the core principles that govern the game of golf.

“I know I did the right thing,” Katie said. “I’m super proud of what Morgan and I accomplished and the battles we went through to earn the exemption, but this tournament is bigger than me. It deserves the best players competing for a championship, and there was no way I could be ready. I could show up and try to play, but that’s not who I am. That's not what I was taught nor are those the values that I believe in.”

Katie is hoping to be able to experience The Honors Course at some point, but she is content that it will not be during this year’s Women’s Amateur. It is almost providential that her deep regard for the integrity of this sport has denied her the chance to compete at a place that has served as a guardian of the amateur game since Jack Lupton founded The Honors Course in 1983.

Katie has spent her lifetime overcoming adversity, and this setback will not rob her of her bright future. She recognizes that a clear conscience is something of greater value than competing in a golf tournament. She may no longer be listed among the event’s participants, but Katie has already left her mark on the championship.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com