Coming off another hot week on the LPGA Tour, 20-year-old rookie Alison Lee is no stranger to success. At 14, Lee qualified for the U.S. Women's Open, and as a freshman at UCLA, she set numerous team records, led the nation in scoring and won the inaugural ANNIKA Award, given to the top female collegiate golfer.
Last year Lee was a member of the victorious United States Curtis Cup team, posting a 3-1-1 record, and in December she attended LPGA Q-school with the idea of turning pro if she gained full status on the LPGA Tour for the 2015 season. Not only did Lee qualify for the tour, she was the co-medalist with a score of 10 under.
Now on tour, she finished fourth at the Kia Classic, tied the course record with a 63 in the third round of the JTBC Founders Cup, and had the lead several times last week at Kingsmill before finishing in third place.
ESPN.com talked with Lee about her quick rise in women's golf, early lessons learned on tour and her future ambitions.
ESPN.com: You had an outstanding week last week at the Kingsmill Championship. What were you thinking going into the final round with a chance to win?
Lee: I mean it really makes me think of playing in the Kia Classic. I got fourth place there. I was actually in the final group in that tournament as well. And I was leading at one point in the tournament, also on the last day, but unfortunately I didn't play well enough in the middle of the round to keep up with Cristie Kerr's round. And I know the same thing happened this week. I was hitting the ball pretty solid, I felt like I was playing well. I made a couple of mistakes here and there, but Minjee [Lee] played a great final round and it was hard to compete with.
What did you learn from those two weeks that you will take home with you?
Lee: I am just going to try and be confident ... I was struggling for the past couple weeks and the previous couple of tournaments with my putting. It was getting frustrating, but this week after playing well, it definitely shows that I am still a good player and I can compete with these girls out here and I had another chance this week. It is still the beginning of the season, so I will have a lot of tournaments to play this year. So it shows me that hopefully I can be in contention a few more times and closer to that win. I am getting closer and closer.
You have said that you are more of a feel player than a technical player, how have you maintained such good form in your swing?
Lee: I started playing golf when I was 3 or 4 and my dad was my first swing coach. He watched my every swing growing up. Literally every swing, he would be right there, putting me in position and reminding me of the key things. And it was always about feel. I was never [very] technical with my swing. Lately, I have been working on my swing a little more to get more distance, but it's nothing too major. My main thing is to work on timing, my tempo, grip and setup.
What is your biggest surprise so far to your life on the LPGA Tour?
Lee: It is very tiring. I have already played nine tournaments this year, and before I turned pro, I would only play 10 tournaments a year. So the year isn't even halfway through, and I have played the same amount of tournaments [as an amateur]. It's been tough being away from home for so long. But at the same time it's been pretty cool. I get to see a bunch of new places but it is tiring.
How have you kept your game at such a consistently high level?
Lee: That's a good question. I actually didn't. I mean, I managed to get a Rolex All-American for six years in a row, but when I was around 15 and 16, I did go through a little bit of a slump over the summer. Thankfully I had a couple of good events before that so I was able to keep my All-American award. But yeah, I fell into a slump. I've done that. At one point I missed so many cuts in a row, I couldn't even break 80 after shooting in the 60s a couple of weeks before. I went through a huge growth spurt when I was 15 and I really struggled for a while. I had the yips off the tee. I think one round I shot a 96 or something and I had never done that before. It hasn't always been a smooth road for me, and I don't think a lot of people realize that. But I learned from it and it's what's made me a more humble player today and made me appreciate everything else more.
Who are your closest friends on tour?
Lee: It's still my rookie year so I am still easing into the tour and getting to know more and more people. I grew up with a lot of them playing junior golf. I know a lot of them pretty well, but going to college, I haven't seen them in a couple of years. But people like Jessica [Korda] -- we played a lot of junior golf together. And Christina Kim has been super nice and has been like an older sister to me on tour. Same with Minjee [Lee]. I have played some junior golf events with her. Her family and my family are good friends. I don't think I could say that I have my clique on tour yet.
What can you tell us about yourself that your fans may not know?
Lee: People would be surprised at my practice schedule. I am not the type of person who enjoys to practice very much. If I do have to practice, I'll be serious and I'll practice, but I'd rather go shopping or something than stand there on the golf course. I like to balance and do a lot of other stuff outside of the golf course.
We saw you had your nose bleed on Sunday and you had to stop play and get help. You said this has been happening your whole life, can you tell us more about that?
Lee: I used to get nosebleeds all of the time, ever since I was young. At one point, I used to get a nosebleed every morning when I woke up. I would go wash my face and I would get a nosebleed. I have a blood vessel that is very close to the surface of my skin so it would burst open really easily. So I got that checked and I got a surgery and I didn't have a nosebleed for a couple of years, and then it started again three years ago. I get them pretty often. It only lasts like 30 seconds or it could last several minutes. On [the ninth hole], it kept coming out and it was hard to continue. It was getting really hot out there and humid. But thankfully it stopped by the end of that hole. I just wanted to notify the rules official so I could get a couple of extra minutes to wait for it to stop. Because I would put a tissue in and then have to hit but I would have to change the tissue because it kept coming out. But it has happened to me before in the middle of tournaments and very important tournaments. That wasn't the first time so it wasn't that big of a deal.
Everybody must be so excited for you back at UCLA, being the medalist at Q-school and having a great season so far.
Lee: Yeah, they are awesome. All of the girls on the team, I am good friends with all of them. My coach and I have a good relationship. She has been texting me every day I have been here. All of my teammates have too. Even during off weeks, I go back to school and I hang out at school like I am still a student and I am on the team still so it's kind of nice.