VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Plenty of adversity can arise for golfers during any given round, but life has presented Carley Rudolf with more obstacles than 18 holes ever could.
Rudolf is a Virginia Beach native who attended First Colonial High School, so when she transferred from Virginia Tech to Old Dominion, it was like coming home.
"I love it here," she said. "Virginia Beach is awesome and just being close to my family has really meant a lot to me."
"She's always here an hour before us, she's here an hour after us," said Old Dominion teammate Klara Wildhaber. "She just loves the game."
Adversity for a golfer is often made up of bunker shots, hitting out of the rough and missed putts. Carley's journey has seen so much more away from the links, beginning in January of 2021.
"I had so much pain that I couldn't make it through a full round of golf," she recalled.
Carley had severe stomach pain and sought to figure out the source of the problem. Numerous check-ups, appointments and evaluations would follow. She said that her condition went misdiagnosed for a year, but about one year after her initial issues in February of 2022, a few months shy of her 21st birthday, doctors made a terrifying discovery. Carley was battling stage three ovarian cancer.
"It wasn't until they opened me up for my first surgery that they found the cancer," the ODU junior remembered. "Right after that it was three surgeries, back-to-back-to-back."
In the end, Carley would undergo four total operations and a long road back. Now the former Patriot is in remission. Not only has she beaten the disease, but she's back playing the game she loves in her own backyard.
"It was definitely a life-changing experience for me and my whole family," Carley said. "It affected all of us and just to go through last year was very difficult, but I made it through."
Not only did she make it through, the Monarch junior came out stronger on the other side. It's also changed her perspective on things, as even on a day where Carley may not have the best stroke, just being out on the course can give her that hole-in-one feeling.
"My battle has definitely changed my whole outlook on golf and life," she noted. "Now I view everything with a positive outlook."
"Everyone has their own story, everyone's going through something, but it's special having a player like that on your team," added Wildhaber. "It humbles you for sure and it puts things into perspective."
Carley's journey has inspired her teammates and just might do the same for somebody off the golf course as well.
"My advice for other people would be to always be your own advocate," she said. "Always go through with your check-ups and don't stop until you get an answer."
Carley has shown pretty good form so far this season. The Monarchs' opener at Purdue saw her finish tied for No. 47 overall, good enough for second on the team. She would follow that up at Furman with a 24th place finish as was the top ODU player at the tournament.
Ruldof and Old Dominion are back in action October 23-25 at Mississippi State.
