No Luggage, No Problem: Alison Lee Posts 66 Despite Evian Championship Travel Issues

Alison Lee’s golf clubs might not have arrived in Évian-les-Bains on Tuesday, and her checked suitcase might still be stuck somewhere in the U.S., but she didn’t let the unfortunate circumstances stop her from posting a stellar 5-under 66 during Round 1 of the Evian Championship. 

After teeing off at 7:27 a.m. local time for the fourth major championship of the women’s season, Lee grabbed the solo clubhouse lead when she sunk a 10-foot birdie putt on Evian Resort’s par-5 18th. The birdie was Lee’s seventh of the day. She opened with a 4-under 31 on the front nine. 

Lee’s solo lead didn’t last for long, as Paulo Reto of South Africa quickly jumped up to the top of the leaderboard with a strong 7-under 64, but the round was nonetheless a confidence booster for the Los Angeles native. 

Lee recently added a putting coach to her team, and on Thursday she saw the impact of that important change.

“You know, putting has been my weakest point over the past year. You could just look at my stats and that's something I've been trying really hard to work on,” Lee said. “Today was one of those days where, I mean, I even laughed at some of the putts I made because it just wasn't expecting it to go in. After the first few holes, making a few good putts gave me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the round. Every time I had a birdie chance I really looked at it as if I can make this. That's what I said to myself.”

If only Lee’s travel went as smoothly as her putting felt on Thursday. 

The UCLA product arrived at the major championship destination on Monday without a single bag to greet her. 

First, Lee’s golf clubs were delayed, and the situation cost her a Tuesday practice round. Despite arriving at the airport at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Lee’s bag wasn’t delivered to her until 9 p.m. Lee played nine holes on Wednesday morning before the pro-Am instead. 

But the story gets worse: Lee’s personal suitcase never made it to France. Her checked luggage was abandoned in the Detroit Metro Airport and has yet to be delivered.

On Tuesday, Lee took to Twitter to express her frustration with Delta airlines, as many professional golfers have done in recent weeks as international travel has caused more than a few mishaps in the sport. 

“In Evian and my suitcase has been stuck in DTW for 40 hours and counting,” Lee wrote. 

The 28-year-old will look forward to relaxing after her impressive start to the tournament, but she also has some business to take care of. 

“Well, I’m going to go track my suitcase and make sure everything is there,” Lee said. “I’m going to send Delta a pretty nasty email, so yep.” 

If Lee can post a score like she did on Thursday under less than ideal circumstances, who knows what she might be capable of throughout the weekend as her belongings (hopefully) find their way to France.