Alison Lee smashes LET scoring record en route to victory in Saudi Arabia

How to you follow an opening round of 61?

If you’re 28-year-old American pro Alison Lee, it’s simple: Just do it again.

At this week’s Aramco Team Series event in Saudi Arabia, Lee posted back-to-back rounds of 61 (-11) to reach 22 under par through two rounds, obliterating the previous Ladies European Tour 36-hole scoring record by a whopping six shots.

Both of Lee’s first two rounds included 11 birdies. In her opening round, Lee set another LET record by carding eight birdies in a row on holes 15-18 and 1-4.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week I was going to shoot 22-under after two days I wouldn’t have believed you!” Lee told the Ladies European Tour. “So I’m really happy with where I am right now. I made a lot of really good putts.” 

Lee continued her positive momentum through the third and final round, and managed to avoid carding a single bogey in the entirety of the 54-hole event. Her Sunday round of seven-under 65 included seven birdies and was good enough to match the LET’s scoring record of 29 under and win the tournament by eight shots over Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who won the team component of the tournament. England’s Charley Hull was third at 18 under.

While Lee is still seeking her maiden LPGA victory, the Aramco win marks the second LET title of her career.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.