Alison Lee has only played a couple of rounds of golf since last October, as her newfound motherhood has been taking up most of her time.

Alison welcomed her son, Levi Todd Kidd, into the world earlier this year, having hung up her golf clubs in October 2024 to prepare for his arrival. She was actually almost eight weeks along at the Solheim Cup last year, which the Americans won at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, but she kept her pregnancy a secret in the team room, only revealing the news publicly via an Instagram post on March 3.

Levi was born via an emergency C-section on April 25, something that Alison and her partner, Trey Kidd, weren’t expecting to happen during their first birth experience. But everything ultimately went smoothly, and Levi is nearly five months old now, a giggly little guy that Alison says is starting to become more and more aware of his surroundings with each passing day.

“The milestones,” Alison said when asked what the best part of motherhood is in a pre-tournament press conference at this week’s Aramco Houston Championship. “About a month ago, he started giggling, and just this past week, he’s been babbling and screaming. At first, babies feel like aliens. You’re just trying to keep them alive. There’s no reaction. Now, he looks at me and recognizes me. That’s been the most fun part so far.”

After everything her body went through having her son, Alison wasn’t certain if a return to professional golf would be feasible this season. But as soon as she felt ready, Alison went to work practicing, eager to push herself to her limit in an effort to get back to playing as soon as possible, particularly with the limited competitive window that many mothers have to contend with after having kids.

“To be honest, there aren’t many women on Tour over 35 or moms playing at a really high level. That disappointed me and made me feel like I don’t have a lot of time,” Alison said. “So, I wanted to give golf one more push, maybe one or two years. If I’m not playing the way I want, I probably won’t continue. The hardest part has been getting my speed and power back. I’ve lost so much, and that’s been frustrating. But I’ve taken it day by day.”

“I even considered playing in Boston last week, but decided it was too soon. I’m glad I waited because my game feels in a much better place now.”

The Aramco Houston Championship will mark Alison’s first start in an event on any circuit since she withdrew from the 2024 Maybank Championship during the first round last fall. The 30-year-old has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 2015 and has tallied 25 top-10 results throughout her career, earned over $4.3 million and played on two U.S. Solheim Cup Teams.

But Alison has remained in search of what’s proven to be an elusive first career victory on the LPGA Tour, a goal that’s continued to motivate her when golf has gotten challenging. There was a period a couple of years ago where she picked up her second career Ladies European Tour victory and carded three straight runner-up results on the LPGA Tour to close out 2023, and it was a bit of a surprise when the other shoe didn’t drop for Alison on the LPGA, even more so considering how solid her golf had been in that stretch.

However, while she certainly still wants to check an LPGA Tour win off her career bucket list, Alison’s perspective on golf has drastically shifted since Levi came into the picture, and she admits that it’s been tough at times to encourage herself to pursue the game, knowing that her most important job now is raising her son.

“It’s very hard. Leaving Levi at home to practice is tough,” Alison said. “I feel mom guilt. I feel like I should be spending more face-to-face time with him. Some days I’ve just said, ‘Forget it, I’m staying home.’ At the same time, I know I need to find time for myself. Those pockets away are refreshing and help me reset.

“The last four months have been an emotional rollercoaster. I get less sleep, maybe six hours on average, broken up throughout the night. (Wednesday) night, he woke up three times. That makes it hard to practice or perform the way I want. But I’m doing my best.”

Alison’s schedule for the rest of the 2025 season is fairly robust for someone who just gave birth less than six months ago, a testament to just how hungry she is to get back in the competitive saddle.

She plans to play in the upcoming Kroger Queen City, Walmart NW Arkansas and LOTTE Championships on the LPGA Tour and then will tee it up in the Aramco China Championship on the LET to round out her year, a five-event slate that should give her a good benchmark of what to work on in her extended off-season, as Alison likely won’t be back out on Tour full-time until May 2026.

This stretch will also help her adjust to traveling with Levi, something that can be a challenge for any mother, let alone a professional athlete who needs to perform at the highest level each week.

And while this undertaking is a bit daunting, considering she is still learning everything that it takes to be a successful Mom on Tour, Alison’s love for the game is what’s propelling her forward, pushing her to continue pursuing her goals at this stage of both motherhood and life.

“I want to give golf one more real try,” Alison said. “In late 2023, I came so close to winning a few times on the LPGA, and I played well in 2024 too, even making the Solheim Cup team. I want to give everything I can over the next couple of years. This run will prepare me for the off-season and for 2026. I believe you only really know where your game is by playing in competition. If I took over a year off, I’d fall too far behind. So, this is about seeing where I stand and testing what it’s like traveling with a baby.”

Alison Lee Making Return to Competitive Golf on Ladies European Tour

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