Alison Lee battled neck pain to shoot 68 at Hazeltine, moving within four of Haeran Ryu and into Sunday’s KPMG Women’s PGA title hunt.
Alison Lee isn’t limping into Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She’s dragging a sore neck, a hot golf swing and a real chance at chaos with her.
Lee fired a 4-under 68 on Saturday at Hazeltine National Golf Club, pushing her to 7-under through three rounds and within four shots of leader Haeran Ryu.
For a player still chasing her first LPGA Tour win and first major championship, this is exactly the kind of door you want cracked open heading into the final round.
It wasn’t pretty. It was gritty. And that made it better.
Lee admitted after the round that her body wasn’t exactly cooperating before she teed off.
“I feel like my game is in a really good place,” Lee said. “I'm not going to lie. Before the round, I had a little bit of a kink in my neck, so I had to take a lot of Advil before the round.”
That pain showed up late, especially when finishing her swing became a chore. But Lee didn’t fold.
She birdied the par-5 third, added another at No. 5 and then bounced back from a bogey at No. 7 with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9. Her back nine had some turbulence, but she answered with a birdie and a massive eagle.
The dagger came at No. 16, a drivable par 4 playing just 240 yards after officials moved the tee up. Lee didn’t even hit that tee shot during practice rounds. No problem. She knocked it to 16 inches and tapped in for eagle.
That’s how you steal momentum in a major.
Lee said the short setup created some confusion because the tee box wasn’t in her yardage book, but the result was perfect. Sometimes golf rewards preparation. Sometimes it rewards nerve.
The timing of this run is fascinating. Lee has been sharp since returning after the birth of her first child, Levi.
In seven starts this season, she has made five cuts, posted two top-three finishes and finished T14 at the U.S. Women’s Open. Now she’s in position for her best KPMG Women’s PGA Championship finish yet.
Sunday won’t be soft. Lee expects wind, changing club selections and a Hazeltine setup that refuses to play the same way twice.
“Tomorrow, I feel like I'm going to have to, depending on the wind, try and play smart,” Lee said. Smart is fine. Fearless would be even better.
Lee tees off at 9:14 a.m. with Dewi Weber and A Lim Kim. She’s four back, hurting and still dangerous. That’s a pretty wild combination.
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