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.
