At just 24 years old, Rylee Suttor is in her rookie season on the Epson Tour, chasing her dream of reaching the LPGA after a standout collegiate career and a strong debut year on the Annika Women's All Pro Tour (WAPT). This week, however, her story takes on a deeper meaning as a sponsor invite at the inaugural Orlando Health Championship at Grasslands Golf & Country Club in Lakeland, Fla.

Suttor's path to professional golf has not been a straight line. Growing up in Shelbyville, Kentucky, she played the game her entire life but initially saw Division III as her ceiling. She started at Centre College, where she blossomed into one of the top DIII players in the country, earning PING WGCA Player of the Year honors, First Team All-American status, and SAA Golfer of the Year twice. She set program records, won multiple events, and finished tied for third at the 2022 NCAA Division III Championships.

That success sparked bigger ambitions.

"I kind of thought DIII was going to be it, and I was just going to play for fun," Suttor recalled. "I got to college and realized I really love golf, and I really want to pursue this as a career because I enjoy doing it every single day."

That realization led her to transfer to the University of Louisville, stepping up to Division I and the competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

"The transition was definitely a lot of fun. Different… facilities and environment-wise," she said. "Getting to compete against the best of the best was the hardest adjustment."

Leaving close teammates at Centre was emotional, but the move was driven by her professional goals. Under Louisville’s head coach, Whitney Young, she adjusted smoothly, posting a career-low round of 66 and strong finishes in her time with the Cardinals.

After graduating, Suttor turned pro in 2024. Plans for her early professional phase included spending winters in warmer weather with her mother in Orlando, Fla., but life intervened in October 2024, when her mom called with life-changing news: a ductal carcinoma breast cancer diagnosis requiring surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

"I was actually at the back golf facility at Louisville... on the Bermuda (grass) chipping green," Suttor remembered. "She was like, ‘Yeah, so I just got diagnosed with cancer.’"

The news hit hard, especially as Suttor was dealing with her own hernia surgery at the time. Initially in shock, the Kentucky native waved the situation off, but when her mom responded that it was real, and she'd lose her hair, reality set in.

"We got to bond over a surgery," she said with a touch of humor. "I was like, oh, you'll be fine. Like, don't worry about it. I said, Oh my God, that's going to be so weird to see my mom with no hair."

As the oldest sibling, Suttor supported her younger brother Ethan through the shock.

"We were kind of going through it together," she explained. "It wasn't like an older sibling thing. We were in this one together."

Her mother's treatment came through Orlando Health, the title sponsor of this week's championship. "They've done everything with her surgery, the chemo, and the radiation," Suttor said. "They've always followed up. They also have therapists to help her with that as well. So, they have all the resources that she needed."

Seeing the Orlando Health Championship on the schedule brought a surreal realization. "I told my mom, and she's like, no way, that's hilarious," Suttor shared. "It means a lot to play in an event that helped my mom through so much... It's kind of awesome to be able to represent her and all the patients that Orlando Health serves."

The moment is especially poignant given their relationship. With her parents divorced when she was young, Suttor split time between homes and didn't always have the closeness she wanted. Her mom's move to Orlando added distance. But the diagnosis changed everything.

"It just shocks you, pulls you back to reality," she said. "The relationship with my mom should be something special."

Last week, Suttor got off the reserve list to play in the IOA Golf Classic and visited Orlando Health Children's Hospital, meeting nurses and doctors, with her mom joining her.

"She's just really proud and really happy to be there," Suttor said. "She said, 'Wow, this is awesome!'”

Entering this week as a sponsor invite feels like destiny.

"It's really meaningful. It allows me to realize that life is bigger than golf," she reflected. "You build these relationships with these people. That's kind of what life is about: to build relationships with people, not to play golf."

On the course, her focus has shifted toward enjoyment over pressure. "Just kind of enjoy the grind and process," she said. "That's what the new goal this year has kind of been.”

For Suttor, this tournament is more than competition; it's gratitude to her mom, appreciation for Orlando Health, and a reminder of life's priorities. In a full-circle twist of fate, the sponsor that supported her family now gives her a platform to compete and inspire.

As she tees it up at Grasslands Golf and Country Club, Rylee Suttor carries not just her clubs, but a story of resilience, family, and the profound ways golf intersects with life. Make sure to follow along here as she looks to achieve her LPGA Tour dreams.

Rylee Suttor: A Full-Circle Moment at the Orlando Health Championship

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