Get to Know Golf's Newest Major Champion - Lilia Vu

AMERICA'S Lilia Vu beat compatriot Angel Yin in a playoff for her first major title at the Chevron Championship.

Vu started the day four shots back but moved up the leaderboard with five birdies - including two on 17 and 18 and one bogey for a 10-under total.

Yin had victory in her grasp but bogeyed 16 and 17 before ensuring a playoff with a birdie at the last.

But her second playoff shot hit the water and Vu holed a long birdie putt for the win at Carlton Woods in Texas.

"Everything happens for a reason, all the bad things," said Vu, 25, who had considered quitting the sport a few years ago.

"The past two days, I was very angry. I didn't feel like myself. I just felt like I was getting angry over every single little thing, and that's usually not how I roll."

Vu said she thought of her grandfather, who left his native Vietnam with his wife and children, and died early on during the Covid-19 pandemic, to keep herself going.

"Today, I was getting really upset on the course, and I just had to remind myself, 'Grandpa is with you and he'd be really disappointed if you were getting upset like this and that you didn't get your act together'," she added.

It was bitter disappointment for Yin, who started the day at the top of the leaderboard with compatriot Allisen Corpuz, who finished on seven-under after a 74 and had the outright lead through 13.

Player Profile

Vu was born in Fountain Valley, California, on October 14, 1997. She enjoyed a successful amateur career, representing the USA at the Curtis Cup in 2018. She also won the Espirito Santo Trophy and Arnold Palmer Cup in 2018. She attended UCLA. She was the world’s No.1 amateur for more than 30 weeks in 2018.

Vu turned professional in 2019. In 2021 she won three times on the Symetra Tour, ending the season in first place on the money list and earning her LPGA Tour card for 2022.

She won the Honda LPGA Thailand in February 2023. Her victory at the 2023 Chevron took her to the top of the order of merit.

Vu averages 264.13 yards from the tee, hits 71.79% of fairways and finds 73.33% of greens in regulation. She gets up and down from the sand 46.15% of the time and averages 27.95 putts per round.