Stanford golfer Rachel Heck becomes first NIL athlete for Nike golf
On May 12, Stanford University sophomore Rachel Heck made a major splash in the NIL realm, signing the first ever Nike Golf NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal. She’s currently the No. 3 ranked amateur in the world and the golfing phenom posted the exciting news to her Instagram and Twitter accounts, writing, “I just did It. So excited and honored to be the first NIL @NikeGolf athlete. I’ve always dreamed of being part of this family.”
Heck won the 2021 NCAA National Championship as a freshman and she’s also landed a number of other high-profile NIL deals in addition to her latest deal with Nike Golf. She’s landed deals with Ping, Stifel Financial, Six Star Pro Nutrition and Whistle Sports. Excel Sports is the company that manages her different NIL deals. Some of the other golfers that Excel has worked with in the past include: Justin Rose, Justin Thomas and Wesley Bryan.
The big announcement for Heck comes right as the top-ranked Stanford women’s team is locked in and gearing up for their 12th consecutive NCAA Championship run in Scottsdale, Arizona. According to her head coach, Anne Walker, Heck has been battling a non-COVID-19 related illness for the past few weeks.
She fired a four-over par 75 in the first round of the NCAA Regional–but had to withdraw for the remaining rounds. The women’s golf phenom is also set to play for a loaded Team USA Roster at the 42nd Curtis Cup at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Justin Rose had a breakthrough major victory at the 2013 U.S. Open that was played at Merion Golf Club.
Recently at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in Augusta, Georgia, she made the cut, finishing tied for 27th and shot 12-over in the tournament.
Heck has simply dominated her sport and the accolades she has racked up are rather endless, but here are a few she won last year: Pac-12 Golfer of the Year, Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year, and she also earned WGCA first team All-American honors.