LostGolfBalls.com BLOG

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

All Posts

Lilia Vu On Top Of The Golf World

 

The 2023 LPGA majors ended just as they started with Lilia Vu (Titleist Pro V1x) winning to add another element to her amazing comeback and heading to the top of the world in women’s golf.

The 25-year-old American won the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath in Surrey, England, finishing at 14-under par with a final round of five-under par. She began the day tied with England’s Charlie Hull (TaylorMade TP5) at nine-under par. Hull had her home country behind her, but it wasn’t to be a storybook finish. She shot one-over par on the round and placed second at eight-under par. Hull simply couldn’t keep pace with Vu, who scorched the course.

Vu won the season’s first major, the Chevron Championship, in June. It also represented her second LPGA win. She took a jump into water at the Chevron Championship as part of the tournament’s tradition for the winner. She was doused with champagne for winning the AIG event.

Vu entered the tournament ranked sixth in the Rolex World Rankings. Many people suggested she’ll be ranked first overall when the rankings are updated.

“It feels surreal to have this kind of Sunday and to come out with a win given the last couple months,” she said afterward. “I’ve been struggling with my game.”

She started the season winning the Honda LPGA Thailand, her first LPGA victory, then recorded a top-seven finish and two top-15s. She followed that up winning her first career major in The Chevron Championship. She then missed the cut in four of her next five starts. In her two tournaments leading up to the AIG Women’s Open, she failed to crack the top-25.

You could have bet on her with odds of greater than 200-1. There was nothing in her game to suggest another victory, particularly one so emphatic.

“It’s just been a crazy year for me, just doing pretty well at the beginning of the season and just hit a lull in the middle, just struggling. I thought at the U.S. Open after I played so bad, I didn’t know if I would ever win again. I think I came into this week with a good mindset. My team and I talked about trying to be in contention on the weekend and that’s all I could do.”

Vu joined the LPGA in 2019 and struggled so badly she considered quitting the sport. She joined the Symetra Tour to resurrect her career. She won three tournaments in 2021 and regained her LPGA card. Last year she made 21 of 24 cuts and earned more than $918,000.

She earned $1.35 million for the AIG Women’s Open victory and $765,000 for the Chevron victory. She has won more than $2.5 million this year and has four top-10 finishes.

You would have to think she will be crowned the LPGA’s Player of the Year.

Celine Boutier (Titleist Pro V1x), who won her last two events going into the AIG Women’s Open, tied for 16

Ally Ewing (Titleist Pro V1x), who led after the first two rounds, tied for sixth.

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH: Hard to believe but the hottest player on the PGA Tour is 43-year-old Lucas Glover (Srixon Z-Star XV), who won the FedEx St. Jude Championship, following up on his win in the Wyndham Championship.

In sweltering conditions, Glover defeated Patrick Cantlay (Titleist Pro V1x) in a playoff.

Because of the sweltering conditions in Memphis, Glover placed his hands in ice buckets prior to teeing up because he doesn’t use a glove. A guy named Glover who doesn’t use a glove? Go figure.

Glover entered the Wyndham Championship ranked 112

Glover won the 2009 U.S. Open, so seeing this resurgence is amazing.

 

 

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

Waxing Poetic About The Masters

So, The Masters is finally here. Does it get any better? I’ve never been to Augusta National and it’s something I hope to do at some point. I covered horse racing as a journalist for 10 years and regularly attended the Kentucky Derby. I can honestly say that it never got dull. Seeing Churchill Downs and the Twin Spires gave me a true understanding of a true sports landmark. I’m sure it’s the same with Augusta National. I can only imagine what the course looks like. I’m told the wonderful scenes you see on TV do not really do it justice, and that in person, the undulations of the lush greens, the azaleas in full bloom, Amen Corner and the various bridges named after immortals of the game are collective works of art.

Gary Woodland's Victory Is A Story For The Ages

Perspective is a sobering thing when it comes to health. Gary Woodland (Titleist Pro V1) made us all appreciate that we are nothing without our health, while also proving that will is sometimes more powerful than the mind in terms of everyday living. In going public recently with The Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard about his battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Woodland allowed us a peek into his private world since his brain surgery in September 2023.

Golf Gods Kind To Fitzpatrick But Cruel To Snedeker

The golf gods giveth and taketh. How else can you explain the last two PGA tournaments. Matt Fitzpatrick (Titleist Pro V1x) wins the Valspar Championship by one stroke after losing the Players Championship seven days before by one stroke. Fitzpatrick was gracious in defeat, so perhaps he was rewarded for his good sportsmanship.