It's not uncommon for collegiate golfers to decide not to pursue a professional career at the end of this stage. It is extremely rare, however, when it comes to superstars like Rachel Heck, who had a brilliant prospect as an LPGA player, but decided to trade the tough life on Tour for the no less demanding one in the U.S. Air Force.Heck is one of the top names in the field for the Augusta National Women's Amateur, which will be played April 2-5 at the iconic course that also hosts the Masters Tournament. The event features 49 of the top 50 ranked women's amateur players, with Heck sitting in the 25th spot.The former Stanford Cardinal, where she shared stardom with current LPGA Tour star Rose Zhang, announced a year ago her decision to maintain her amateur status and pursue other professional ambitions."That was the end of my golf career as I knew it, but absolutely the beginning of a new one," Heck told Golf.com in a recent interview. "Now I get excited to go play golf tournaments. I'm pumped about Augusta because it's the first time that I've gotten to go to a tournament and not feel any pressure. I haven't been practicing. I have another full life that has absolutely nothing to do with this game."Rachel Heck will arrive at the Augusta National Women's Amateur almost immediately after graduating from the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland. The now Air Force 2nd Lieutenant will be moving into a reserve position for which she has been preparing for years.After reporting her decision not to play golf professionally after college, it was learned that Heck had been preparing for several years in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (Air Force ROTC), from which she graduated the summer after graduating from Stanford.Deciding not to pursue a career in professional golf didn't mean Heck gave up on her collegiate career. Quite the contrary. She put so much effort into it that she led the Stanford Cardinal to the 2024 NCAA Division I Championship title. That finish earned her a spot in the Augusta National Women's Amateur.Heck has had a brilliant amateur career that includes the individual title at the 2021 NCAA Division I Championship (as a freshman) and the team title at the same level in 2022 and 2024. She has added another 10 wins to those results.As if that were not enough, the Memphis, Tennessee, native has played in five editions of the major championships, making the cut in four of them. Her best result was a tie for 33rd at the 2017 US Women's Open.In 2021, she received the Annika Award as the top collegiate golfer in the country.As for the Augusta National Women's Amateur, Heck has played in every edition except 2019 (she didn't qualify) and 2023 (when she was unable to play due to injury). However, she was on the course during the latter to support her teammate and friend Rose Zhang, who went on to win the event.Her best finish at Augusta was a tie for third in 2021.More Golf: CNBC, CBS Fall Victim to Tiger Woods' Obvious April Fool's Masters Prank