Lee ready to test waters with baby in tow at Houston return
FILE PHOTO: Sep 15, 2024; Gainesville, Virginia, USA; Alison Lee of Team USA plays her shot from the third tee during single matches against Team Europe during the Solheim Cup 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images/File Photo
Two-time U.S. Solheim Cup player Alison Lee will make her much-anticipated return to competition at this week's Aramco Houston Championship, just 19 weeks after giving birth to her first child – and she's brought along quite the entourage.
The American golfer will have her mother by her side to help with baby duties as she tests the waters of professional golf as a new mom during the fourth stop of the PIF Global Series on the Ladies European Tour from September 5-7.
"I am using this time not so much to come back but just kind of test where my game is at right now and to see what it's like travelling on the road with a little one because there's just so much that goes with it," Lee told Reuters.
The transition back to the golf course hasn't been without its challenges as Lee concedes she's lost speed and power since giving birth, and the mental game presents its own hurdles.
"One of the main challenges I have is just walking out the door and having to leave my son at home and having a bit of mom guilt, trying to return back so early," said Lee.
"I feel like I could just so easily say 'oh I am going to stay at home and not practice and spend more time with him' but that's been the most challenging part."
Lee's approach is strategic rather than rushed. Her mother will continue travelling with her for LPGA Tour events the next two weeks in Ohio and Arkansas while she continues to evaluate her competitive future.
The 30-year-old Lee expects to make a full-time return to competition around April or May 2025, around the time her son turns one year old.
The stakes are personal and professional since Lee, who won PIF Global Series individual titles in 2021 and 2023, has given herself a timeline to determine whether continuing her golfing career makes sense.
"I want to give golf one more try. Realistically over the next couple years if my game isn't at the place I want it to be then I probably won't continue, which is why I wanted to come back and see what my game is like now," said Lee.
As for the possibility of earning a spot on the U.S. team that will face Europe in the 2026 Solheim Cup next September in the Netherlands, Lee remains cautiously optimistic.
"Of course I would love to be on that team," said Lee. "To be completely honest that's not 100 per cent a priority. It's so hard to say because I have no idea what my game will look like.
"I think I will have a better idea in a few months."
