18 weeks after giving birth, Alison Lee was on the course playing professional golf again. She endured “mom guilt,” leaving behind son Levi as she teed off at the Kroger Queen City Championship. She did not make the cut. She was back on the course a few weeks later, at Arkansas. And this time, she was almost there, soaring through the scoreboard. But the weather had some other plans. Yet, she has not lost her tenacity, and she will be in Hawaii this week for the LOTTE Championship. But what made her come back on the course so soon after delivery? Why didn’t she stay home and take a rest? Well, the answer is the twisted LPGA maternity leave policy.

Lee, speaking to Meg Adkins and Matthew Galloway on the Fried Egg Golf Podcast, explained the system as both a lifeline and a gamble: “I mean, not every policy is perfect. I believe they changed it a few years ago as well. But yeah, it’s hard… It’s hard managing life, trying to be a mom, trying to travel. And then also, like, I mean, keeping your card is not easy.”

So basically, the way the LPGA ‘maternity year’ works is to protect the playing status of players. Under the policy, a player’s current status can be frozen for up to two years, allowing them to focus on pregnancy, early childcare, and recovery without losing their Tour status or card. Players can declare a year as ‘maternity leave.’

Now the players have an option to decide whether to declare the ‘maternity year’ in the year the baby is born or the year after that. And that particular year will sort of allow “freebies” to these new mothers who could choose to play as many or as few events as they wish without those events affecting their status. On paper, it looks perfect and supportive, but underneath, there are certain cracks. To many like Lee, this comes as an advantage. But not so for others.

“I was a bit lucky, like it gave me the option to try to play a few events at the end of the year. But obviously, it depends on when you give birth. Like for some women, if you give birth later in the year, you kind of can’t really play at all,” Lee explained.

With so many players embracing motherhood and playing on Tour while being pregnant, Lee expects the LPGA to be more considerate towards their demands: “I feel like maybe we should get a little bit more time than that. I wish the LPG maybe had something in place where they can give moms a little bit more time, versus just one year.”

This, in fact, is a change from the earlier policy, which was much stricter than this. Prior to this, players taking maternity leave were restricted to a maximum of 10 tournament starts in their maternity year. Those who exceeded the 10-event limit could lose their tour status. But after Karine Icher and Sydnee Michaels‘ efforts for a change, the Tour modified the policy in 2019.

But still, there are issues that need to be dealt with. Apart from a short window to protect the Tour card, the maternity leave remains unpaid. LPGA players receive no paycheck while they’re away. Playing is the only way they earn, which leads to many golfers competing well into their pregnancies just to cover and meet sponsor commitments.

Katherine Perry-Hamski, who returned to competition after giving birth, put it bluntly: “We got to try to pay the bills at home, but I wasn’t strong enough or recovered enough to play well enough to try to earn my status back.” Perry-Hamski returned to the LPGA Tour in February 2021. In December 2022, she played in the LPGA Q-Series with her toddler in tow as she attempted to re-secure her tour status.

This is very different from several other sports. The WNBA, for instance, provides a full salary during maternity leave. Even the WTA introduced a paid system backed by Saudi Arabia’s PIF.

“I wouldn’t say that we have the puzzle totally solved. There’s a lot more that we can do to serve these players,” said Blake Henderson, the LPGA’s senior director of athlete policy and development.

Through all this, players like Lee remain hopeful: “I don’t think it’ll change for me or anyone in the next couple years. But hopefully down the road, I think hopefully someone will step up and say something.”

Meanwhile, she’s ready to embrace full-time golf soon.

Alison Lee eyes April comeback

Speaking to Matthew Galloway on the Fried Egg Golf Podcast, Alison stated that she is set on returning to full-time play next spring. This will be timed around Levi’s first birthday: “I mean, for the longest time, I think my whole plan was to maybe start right when Levi’s around one, so right around April, May of next year is when I’m planning on starting.”

For now, she’s treating this fall’s start as a test run. She’s gauging her form, noting what needs sharpening, and learning how her body and game respond to life as both a player and a mom. With a stellar performance at NW Arkansas, where she was tied for third before the tournament got cancelled, the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii feels like a bittersweet break in momentum. Next year, when she feels she’s ready, she will be back on the course, as she said, “If I’m playing really, really good and I feel like I’m ready, then I will start earlier. As of right now, no rush.”

The challenge, though, she admits, is not just in the course. Traveling with an infant has shown a new set of hurdles. She revealed, “Whatever worked yesterday isn’t going to work today, and so I’m still trying to figure it out.” Taking a flight is one such challenge, something she calls a “nightmare.” Even on the smoother trips, she walked off the plane “dripping sweat” from stress, juggling a restless baby and the demands of the road.

It is situations like these where players look for an empathetic environment from the Tour. Hopefully, with the new commissioner on board, things might get more breathable.