LostGolfBalls.com BLOG

Information and tips on everything golf ball related from the largest recycler of used golf balls in the world

Lila Vu is the feel-good story halfway into the Chevron Championship

Read More →

Posts by Tag

see all
All Posts

Lila Vu is the feel-good story halfway into the Chevron Championship

If Lilia Vu (Titleist Pro V1x) wins the weather-delayed 2023 Chevron Championship, it will be a feel-good story for anyone who has ever faltered at their job and considered quitting.

Vu joined the LPGA Tour in 2019 after a stellar three-year career at UCLA, winning eight tournaments, and sitting first in the amateur ranks for 31 weeks. But the success she had in college did not initially translate to the pros, making the cut only once in nine tournaments. She dropped down to the Symetra Tour in hopes of recovering her game and regaining her LPGA Tour card again.

She didn’t do much better in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and told Fore magazine she seriously considered quitting and pursuing a career in law.

But she turned around her game in 2021, winning three Symetra Tour events and regaining her LPGA Tour card. In 2022, she made the cut in 22 of 24 tournaments, and though she didn’t win she managed three top-three finishes, eight top-10s and more than $900,000.

After opening the 2023 LPGA Tour season with a win in the Honda LPGA Thailand, she finished in the top-15 in her next three starts. She turned around everything in 2021 winning three tournaments on the Symetra Tour and earning Play of the Year honors and earning her way back to the LPGA.

She played in 23 tournaments, and while she didn’t win, she made the cut in 20 and had two top-five finishes and seven top-10.

She opened the 2023 season with a win in the Honda LPGA Thailand. In her last two tournaments leading into the Chevron Championship, she posted a tied for 7th and a tie for 11th.

WHOA NELLY: Nelly Korda (Titleist Pro V1x) entered the 2023 Chevron Championship as the co-favorite with Lydia Ko (Titleist Pro V1x) at 11-1.

Following her second round, Korda sits near the top at five-under par after firing a two-under par 70 on Friday.

So anybody betting on Korda must feel really good heading into the weekend.

Korda is looking for her first win in the tournament after tying for second in 2020 with Brooke Henderson (TaylorMade TP5x) in a three-way playoff won by Mirim Lee (Titleist Pro V1x).

Korda came into the tournament having made the cut in the five tournaments in 2023, including fifth in the DIO Implant LA Open three weeks ago. She had tied for 57th in the LPGA Drive On Championship the week before. Overall, she entered the Chevron Championship with three top-five finishes and four top-10.

PATTY IS BACK: Patty Tavatanakit (Titleist Pro V1x), who won the tournament in 2021 when it was known as the ANA Inspiration, finished her second round tied with Korda at six-under par after blistering the course with a five-under par 67. Tavatanakit, the 2021 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, tied for third in the 2023 DIO Implant LA Open. She’s also enjoying a turnaround season after making only 12 of 21 cuts in 2022. She tied for fourth in the Chevron Championship last year.

Many players will finish their second round early on Saturday after Friday’s round was delayed two hours because of bad weather.
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko
Perry Lefko is an award-winning writer who has published nine books, three of them bestsellers. He has been involved in sports writing for more than 35 years and has interviewed many superstar athletes. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and enjoys watching golf and playing it.

Related Posts

Sudarshan Yellamaraju Put On Quite A Show

Before I talk about the thrilling finale of the 2026 Players Championship, I wanted to highlight Sudarshan Yellamaraju (Titleist Pro V1). Yellamaraju is a landed Canadian immigrant – I’m a Canadian by birth – and his hometown is Mississauga, which is where I am based, in the west end of Toronto. Up until last week, Yellamaraju was known only to the Canadian golf community, and even then, it was probably a limited audience. That will no longer be the case. His cover, so to speak, has been blown after he finished tied with Ludwig Aberg (Titleist Pro V1x) and Jacob Bridgeman (TaylorMade TP5X) for fifth.

Scottie Scheffler Is Clearly In A Slump

What’s wrong with Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1)? It’s become increasingly obvious that the world’s number one men’s player is clearly frustrated. He’s been showing visible signs of it for several weeks, but the most glaring example occurred after he bogeyed a makeable putt on his final shot of the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After picking up his ball he threw it into the water. There was a noticeable murmur among the crowd, almost teetering on booing.

Should Equipment Changes Be Made Public in PGA Tour Events?

Should equipment changes be noted publicly before a player tees it up in a PGA Tour event? While that may sound crazy, it is common practice in horse racing. Some bettors want all the information they can get. With gambling now a big part of sports, I don’t think it’s a crazy idea. Already this year we saw Collin Morikawa (TaylorMade TP5x) winning an event with a putter borrowed from another player. Chris Gotterup (Bridgestone Tour B X with Mindset) won two tournaments this year after changing ball. And remember when Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1) went on a tear changing to a blade putter to a mallet putter?