Ooltewah’s Scheck teams with Ellison to claim U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball

What’s a few more holes of golf when you’re having the time of your life with a national title hanging in the balance?

A day that began with Ooltewah’s Katie Scheck and Morgan Ellison of Peachtree City, Ga., rising before dawn on Wednesday to complete their suspended quarterfinal match after 21 holes eventually concluded two matches later with the duo once again needing extra holes to claim the 11th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C.

The grueling test of endurance was decided when Ellison drained a birdie putt on the 19th hole to defeat 15-year-old Floridians Grace Carter and Alexandra Carter.

“It's super special to be here with my partner and my family and everything, and to just close it out like the way she did and to get a hold of this trophy that we knew we kind of were like that trophy's ours,” Scheck said. “We said that jokingly. As we were walking the course on Wednesday, we were like that trophy is ours this week. We made it a reality! So that was really special.”

Scheck and Ellison trailed 1 down after eight holes in the championship match, but a birdie at 9 and a winning par at 10 flipped the advantage. Carter and Snyder tallied a birdie of their own to square the match at 13, only to have Scheck and Ellison regain their 1 up lead with another birdie at the par 3 15th as Ellison stuck her tee shot to six feet and made the putt.

The following hole offered Ellison/Scheck a chance to take control, as the Floridian teens carded a bogey, giving Ellison and Scheck an opportunity for a 2-up lead. However, both missed their 8-foot par putts, keeping the door open for the younger side.

Snyder gave new life to her side with a 30-foot birdie at 17 to level the count, and the two teams halved the 18th with pars after missing birdie tries. The combatants returned to Ralston Creek’s 382-yard first hole where Ellison’s 12-foot clutch putt sealed the victory.

“I had missed ones on 16, 17 and 18. So it felt good to see one drop,” said Ellison about her winning putt. “Obviously, I knew there was still a chance she could make hers, and Grace [Carter] had been a good player all day. So, I figured we were going to another [playoff hole]. That was my mindset. It was just so surreal. It was so good to see one go in.”

By virtue of their win, Scheck and Ellison receive a 10-year exemption from qualifying for U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball, exemption for each player to this year’s U.S. Women's Amateur at The Honors Course, and exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur.

“Special to play at home. So special,” Scheck remarked. “It [The Honors Course] is right up the road where I live. So that's really special.”

Scheck’s successful week was made even more enjoyable given the fact she was able to share it with her family, including her father, Kevin, who served as her caddie.

“This win means so much to me because it is my first-ever USGA victory,” Scheck said. “It makes it even more special to share the experience with my dad on the bag for the entire tournament. The emotions I’m feeling are unbelievable — I’m just blown away by what my partner and I were able to accomplish this past week. We stayed patient, trusted each other, and competed hard every single day. To see all of that work pay off in such a special event is something I’ll never forget. This is truly a moment that means the world to me, and I’m so grateful for everyone who supported us along the way.”

After two years at Penn State, Scheck completed her collegiate career at Mercer last month where she was named an All-Southern Conference selection for the second straight year. The three-time state champion at Lake Oconee Academy in Georgia and was crowned the 2021 Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year for Public 1A.

Ellison, who played at the University of Texas-San Antonio in college, continued her torrid streak that saw her named 2025 GSGA Women's Player of the Year after winning both the Georgia Women's Open and the Georgia Women's Four-Ball while finishing runner-up at the Georgia Women's Mid-Amateur.

After battling Lucy Cook and Eliza Yelverton for 20 holes in the quarterfinals on Tuesday that was delayed due to darkness, it took only one hole for Scheck and Ellison to advance to the semifinals Wednesday morning. Playing the 17th hole, the duo carded a birdie to dispose of Cook and Yelverton.

Forced to immediately shift gears and take on Haley Davis and Katelyn Huber in their semifinal match, Ellison and Scheck found themselves 2 down after only five holes. A winning par at No. 7 cut the deficit in half before hitting their stride late in the contest.

A birdie at 11 tied the match, and Scheck and Ellison grabbed a 1 up lead with a par at 12. After both sides birdied 13, another birdie at 14 gave Scheck and Ellison a 2 up advantage. Davis and Huber sliced the gap to 1 down with a birdie at 15, only to see Ellison and Scheck regain their 2 up cushion with a winning par at 16. Halving No. 17 with a par resulted in a 2 and 1 victory to earn a spot in the championship match.

In the other semifinal match, back-to-back birdies on the first two holes by 15-year-old Floridians Grace Carter and Alexandra Snyder put Carthage’s Sophie Linder and Mary Miller of Savannah, Ga. in an early deficit they could not overcome as they were eliminated by a 4 and 2 measure.

The Ole Miss teammates were unable to conjure up the same magic that saw them take down the No. 1 seed on Tuesday, making only two birdies through their first 13 holes that were both matched by Carter and Snyder while surging to a 4 up lead.

Linder and Miller finally won a hole at No. 14 with a birdie, but Carter and Snyder sealed the outcome with their eighth birdie on the round two holes later.