A New Major Record And The Inevitable Questions That Follow

Jeongeun Lee6 tees off on the third hole Friday during her record-tying 61. Photo: Stuart Franklin, Getty Images

The number was certainly big news, as were the records it helped break. But the 61 fired by Jeongeun Lee6 on Friday at the Amundi Evian Championship, equaling the lowest single-round score in all of major championship golf, left a lot of questions, some fair and some rooted in bias.

For starters, 61 on a muni is a heck of a score, the kind most players never see in their lifetimes. It’s become a little more prevalent at the highest level. Last year, Brendon Todd and Dustin Johnson both shot 61 at the Travelers Championship. And on the LPGA Tour, Nasa Hataoka posted 61 just a few weeks ago at the Marathon Classic. That wasn’t the lowest score of the LPGA Tour season, either. Jessica Korda put up a 60 in the first event of the year, the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, and still needed a birdie in a playoff to win.

In...