Second major victory this year propels Lilia Vu to top of women’s world ranking

For the first time in the history of the Rolex Rankings, the top-two players are from the U.S.

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Nelly Korda’s fifth stint atop the Rolex Rankings was short-lived as Lilia Vu’s second major championship victory this year has made her the new women’s World No. 1.

Vu ran away from the pack to claim the 2023 AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath near London on Sunday for her third win this year after previously earning her first LPGA win earlier this season at the Honda LPGA Thailand and the Chevron Championship in April.

The 25-year-old is the fourth American to earn the No. 1 ranking since the inception in 2006. Vu also became the first American to win two major championships in a single season since Juli Inkster in 1999.

She also moves to No. 1 in the standings for the 2023 Solheim Cup team, though she had mathematically clinched her spot following the U.S. Women’s Open in July.

“Being the best in the world, that’s just crazy to me,” said Vu following her win at Walton Heath. “Just thinking about the struggle I had this year and just to come out with that has been — it’s just incredible.”

Korda is now ranked No. 2, which means for the first time in the history of the Rolex Rankings the top-two players are from the United States.

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Photos: Protesters invade green during final round of 2023 AIG Women’s Open

Check out the photos of the protest during the final round of the last women’s major of the season.

Lilia Vu is the story of the day in women’s golf as the 25-year-old claimed her second major title of the season and third win of the year on Sunday at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath near London.

However, on the 17th hole, a group of protesters from Just Stop Oil invaded the green with flares to speak out against the UK government from licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects. The group similarly protested last month’s Open Championship at Hoylake during the second round. A sign carried by one of the protesters read, “stop insuring climate crisis.”

Charley Hull had just hit an approach to the green when two invaders ran onto the putting surface with smoke flares. After the protesters were cleared, Vu finished her hole and went on to win the tournament.

“What a bunch of idiots,” Hull said after the round.

“I suffer from asthma, but didn’t have my inhaler on me and that stuff was really thick, so no it was not nice. I wasn’t scared when it happened, just thought they were idiots,” she said. “Someone said they are protesting about oil, but how did they get here today? Drove probably.”

Hull shot a 1-over 73 to finish six shots behind Vu for her second runner-up finish at a major championship this season.

Protesters invade green at Women’s Open

2023 AIG Women’s Open prize money payouts for each LPGA player

Check out the prize money payouts for each player at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open.

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Lilia Vu has bookend majors to highlight her 2023 campaign.

The fifth-year pro collected $1,350,000 for claiming the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath in Surrey, England, the fifth and final major of the LPGA’s 2023 season. She also won the first major of the year at the Chevron Championship. That win put $765,000 in her bank account.

After making $3,830 in her first season on the LPGA in 2019, Vu has now gone over the $3 million mark in career earnings.

Check out the prize money payouts for each player at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open.

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Position Player Score Earnings
1 Lilia Vu -14 $1,350,000
2 Charley Hull -8 $835,303
3 Jiyai Shin -7 $605,952
T4 Amy Yang -6 $423,023
T4 Hyo Joo Kim -6 $423,023
T6 Allisen Corpuz -4 $264,487
T6 Ally Ewing -4 $264,487
T6 Angel Yin -4 $264,487
T9 Olivia Cowan -3 $194,364
T9 Andrea Lee -3 $194,364
T11 Akie Iwai -2 $151,005
T11 Nelly Korda -2 $151,005
T11 Nasa Hataoka -2 $151,005
T11 Alison Lee -2 $151,005
T11 Linn Grant -2 $151,005
T16 Alice Hewson -1 $114,331
T16 Celine Boutier -1 $114,331
T16 Anna Nordqvist -1 $114,331
T16 Jenny Shin -1 $114,331
T16 Jeongeun Lee6 -1 $114,331
T21 Xiyu Lin E $87,655
T21 Ryann O’Toole E $87,655
T21 Ayaka Furue E $87,655
T21 Miyu Yamashita E $87,655
T21 Diksha Dagar E $87,655
T21 Hae Ran Ryu E $87,655
T21 Yuna Nishimura E $87,655
T21 Minami Katsu E $87,655
T21 Perrine Delacour E $87,655
T30 Georgia Hall +1 $65,015
T30 Yuri Yoshida +1 $65,015
T30 Leona Maguire +1 $65,015
T30 Emily Kristine Pedersen +1 $65,015
T30 Megan Khang +1 $65,015
T30 Jin Young Ko +1 $65,015
T36 Mao Saigo +2 $52,820
T36 Grace Kim +2 $52,820
T36 Gemma Dryburgh +2 $52,820
T36 Atthaya Thitikul +2 $52,820
T40 In Gee Chun +3 $44,817
T40 Aditi Ashok +3 $44,817
T40 A Lim Kim +3 $44,817
T40 Gaby Lopez +3 $44,817
T44 Kylie Henry +4 $36,813
T44 Mina Harigae +4 $36,813
T44 Wei-Ling Hsu +4 $36,813
T44 Rose Zhang +4 $36,813
T44 Nicole Broch Estrup +4 $36,813
T44 Yu Liu +4 $36,813
T50 Maja Stark +5 $29,725
T50 Kokona Sakurai +5 $29,725
T50 Lindsey Weaver-Wright +5 $29,725
T50 Jaravee Boonchant +5 $29,725
T50 Johanna Gustavsson +5 $29,725
T50 Minjee Lee +5 $29,725
T56 Angela Stanford +6 $24,696
T56 Klara Davidson Spilkova +6 $24,696
T56 Lindy Duncan +6 $24,696
T56 Moriya Jutanugarn +6 $24,696
T56 Stephanie Meadow +6 $24,696
T61 Eun-Hee Ji +7 $21,723
T61 Charlotte Heath (a) +7 $0
T61 Ruoning Yin +7 $21,723
T61 Cara Gainer +7 $21,723
T61 Jodi Ewart Shadoff +7 $21,723
T66 Caroline Hedwall +8 $20,122
T66 Narin An +8 $20,122
T66 Hye-Jin Choi +8 $20,122
T69 Danielle Kang +10 $18,977
T69 Morgane Metraux +10 $18,977
71 Pajaree Anannarukarn +11 $18,293
72 Julia Lopez Ramirez (a) +12 $0
73 Haruka Kawasaki +17 $18,067

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Lilia Vu runs away with 2023 AIG Women’s Open for second major win of the season

Vu has three wins this season, two of which are major championships.

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Lilia Vu is making 2023 a year to remember.

The 25-year-old picked up her first LPGA win earlier this season at the Honda LPGA Thailand and has since added two more wins, both major championships, to her impressive tally. Vu claimed the Chevron Championship in April and added the 2023 AIG Women’s Open on Sunday at Walton Heath Golf Club near London.

Ranked No. 6 in the world, Vu shot a final-round 5-under 67 to win by six shots at 14 under. She made an early birdie on the par-4 second hole and kept her round on track with six straight pars before a closing birdie on par-3 ninth. After the turn Vu began to run away from the pack with two more birdies on Nos. 10 and 12. Her lone bogey of the day came on the No. 15, but she got the shot back with another birdie on the 16th and a closing birdie on the final hole.

MORE: Lilia Vu through the years

“It’s just been a crazy year for me,” she said. “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 could ever win again.”

Charley Hull, who began the day tied with Vu for the lead, finished second at 8 under after a 1-over 73. Jiyai Shin (70) finished third. Hyo Joo Kim (74) and Amy Yang (70) finished T-4 at 6 under.

U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz had one of the low rounds of the day, a 3-under 69 to vault herself to a T-6 finish. Celine Boutier, back-to-back winner of the Amundi Evian Championship and Women’s Scottish Open, fell short of the trifecta but shot a final-round 4-under 68 to finish T-16. Defending champion Ashleigh Buhai missed the cut.

Since her win at the Chevron, Vu has missed four cuts over eight starts, with a best finish of 17th. On the season, she has just three top-five finishes, and they’re all wins.

“My mom, she always told me I was good enough have to compete out here and be the best. She’s really my rock and the reason why I’m here,” Vu said, talking about how imporant her family was in helping her find confidence at golf’s highest level. “And then also, with my grandpa passing away at the beginning of COVID, and I remember I was on my way to a tournament. I had saw him in the hospital before I left, and he was okay. It was a little scare, and he told me just to go out there and play my best before my tournament. Meanwhile, he’s sick and he’s worried about me and my golf game. By the time I came back, he had passed and those were his last words to me. I always think about that every single day. Even when I’m struggling out there on the course, I know he’s out there with me just letting me know that it’s going on okay.”

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Charley Hull, Lilia Vu tied for lead, Ally Ewing stumbles at AIG Women’s Open

Catch up on the action here.

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Ally Ewing was in complete control after her Friday 6-under 66 at the AIG Women’s Open, leading by five shots. But after stumbling to a 3-over 75 at Walton Heath in England, Ewing will tee off two shots out of the lead Sunday.

Charley Hull made one of the moves of the day, firing a 4-under 68 to grab a share of the 54-hole lead with Lilia Vu. Vu, who won the Chevron Championship earlier this season, was one better than Hull on Day 3, shooting a 5-under 67.

“I think today was really about for me just in terms of confidence,” Vu said after her round. “It’s been a while since I played — I say awhile. It’s been since Chevron that I actually felt pretty decent about my game and where it’s at.

“So I’m just going to do the same thing I did today, just focusing on tee shots and giving myself a good opportunity for birdies, and just do that tomorrow, not think too much about the wind. Because every time that happens, it just slips away from me.”

The pair, at 9 under, is one shot clear of their closest chasers, Hyo Joo Kim and Angel Yin. Kim shot a third-round 68 while Yin signed for a 67.

There are several big names lurking a few shots back, including Linn Grant (6 under), Nasa Hataoka (4 under) and Nelly Korda (4 under).

“Tee-to-green really well. Putting, I’d probably give myself a D,” Korda said. “It was — I started off pretty well and then on the back nine, I just kind of started making more mistakes with the short stick.

“But overall, I would say I moved up on moving day, and conditions were tough and I’ll take that.”

Jin Young Ko is 1 under and eight back, while Rose Zhang slid down the board thanks to a 3-over 75 and will tee off Sunday 11 back of the leaders.

Final round coverage will be broadcasted on USA Network 7 a.m.-12 p.m. ET Sunday before switching to Golf Channel from 12-2 p.m. ET.

Defending champion among notables who missed the cut at 2023 AIG Women’s Open

Yani Tseng in 2010 and 2011 remains the last LPGA golfer to win the AIG back to back.

The 2023 AIG Women’s Open has reached the weekend at Walton Heath in Surrey, England, and with Ally Ewing holding a commanding five-shot lead after 36 holes.

Like Brian Harman at the Open Championship three weeks ago, Ewing is at 10 under and the only golfer who is double digits under par after two rounds.

The cut at the AIG came in at 2 over and 13 golfers made the cut right on the number. But the defending champ is among the notables who did not advance to the weekend. It’s now been a dozen years since a golfer has defended her title in the major.

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Ally Ewing draws inspiration from Open winner Brian Harman at AIG Women’s Open

An American holding a big lead at an Open Championship is a storyline we’ve seen recently.

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Ally Ewing carded seven birdies en route to a 6-under 66 to take a five-shot lead after 36 holes at the AIG Women’s Open.

An American holding a big lead at an Open Championship is a storyline we’ve seen recently.

Brian Harman also led by five after two rounds at Royal Liverpool three weeks ago. He never faltered and went on to win his first major. Ewing, who says she doesn’t know Harman personally, said: “I obviously know his story, winning The Open everything and. But yeah, incredible tournament he played.”

The similarities don’t stop there.

“He’s a Bulldog,” she said, before clarifying. “He’s a Georgia Bulldog. I’m a Bulldog, I’m a Mississippi State Bulldog. I guess we have that in common. But yeah, it’s pretty cool, southern guy, I’m southern, just a little Mississippi girl. It is inspiring what he did.

“I think a lot of people, I wouldn’t say they were rooting against him but a lot of people were rooting for other people. I can kind of attest to that in some sense but yeah, certainly happy with where I am through 36 holes.”

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After a birdie on the third hole, Ewing strung together four straight birdies on Nos. 6 through 9 to make the turn in 30.

“I didn’t really even know until I signed my scorecard that I had four birdies in a row,” she said, cognizant of the zone she was in during her round. “I would probably say that stretch from like 6 to 11 is kind of a little bit of a blur but yeah, I was very in the present on all of those shots.”

Her lone blemish came with a bogey on the par-4 closing hole.

Despite that, she’s at 10 under, the only golfer in double digits under par. Harman was also at 10 under through two rounds.

There’s one other similarity between Harman and Ewing.

“I actually do some hunting. I know that’s probably not going to be interpreted well by the media but I do, yes.

“My husband and I, we do mostly deer hunting, so venison. That’s most
of what we do.”

With a commanding lead, Ewing is now the hunted and knows there’s still plenty of golf left to be played.

“Nothing that I’ve done through 36 holes can do anything for me for the next 36, so I’m just going to be mentally prepared for each individual day that presents itself. Each shot is going to be different.”

Charley Hull, Minami Katsu and Andrea Lee are tied for second at 5 under. There are four golfers two back at 4 under, including Chevron Championship winner Lilia Vu.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda is tied for 28th at 1 under after scores of 73 and 70.

Defending champion Ashleigh Buhai is 3 over and is among the notable names who missed the cut.

Ally Ewing makes late eagle, grabs solo lead at 2023 AIG Women’s Open

Ally Ewing has had a rollercoaster last few months on the LPGA.

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Ally Ewing has had a rollercoaster last few months on the LPGA.

In May, at the Bank of Hope Match Play, she finished 17th. Then she missed a cut at the Mizuho Americas.

A tie for eighth at the Meijer LPGA Classic was followed by a missed cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA.

A solo 11th at the U.S. Women’s Open was followed by a missed cut at the Amundi Evian Championship.

She posted a T-9 a week ago in the Women’s Scottish Open but looks to be in good shape to buck the missed-cut-every-other-event trend this week at the AIG Women’s Open.

Ewing rebounded from back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14 with a birdie on 15 and an eagle on 16 at Walton Heath in Surrey, England.

“The ball was sitting down a bit,” she said after her drive on 16 ended up in the rough. “But I happened to see both my playing competitors hit shots and noticed how firm it was up in front of the green and so I was actually able to learn a little bit there. It was kind of a gouge-type shot and I just let it chase and it just so happened to chase to like five feet. It was one of those where you’re trying to give yourself an eagle chance and it just so happened to be a five-footer, so definitely happy to walk away with an eagle.”

Her 4-under 68 elevated her into the solo lead after one round of the final LPGA major of 2023.

There’s a logjam in second at 3 under between Jeongeun Lee6, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Perrine Delacour, Jaravee Boonchant and Amy Yang. They all shot 69s.

There’s even a bigger cluster at 2 under, with 12 golfers tied for seventh after shooting 70. That group includes Carlota Ciganda, who was disqualified from the last LPGA major, the Amundi Evian Championship, for signing an incorrect scorecard, an incident that arose out of a two-stroke penalty for slow play. Also at 2 under is U.S. Open champ, Allisen Corpuz.

As for the other 2023 LPGA major champs: KPMG Women’s PGA champ Yin Ruoning, even; Chevron Championship winner Lilia Vu, 1 over; Amundi winner Celine Boutier, 2 over.

Other notable scores: Danielle Kang (E), Stacy Lewis (E), Jin Young Ko (1 over), Nelly Korda (1 over), Lydia Ko (2 over), defending AIG champ Ashleigh Buhai (2 over), Brooke Henderson (3 over) and Lexi Thompson (4 over).

Thirty-three golfers broke par on the first day.

Photos: Ashleigh Buhai through the years

View photos of major champion Ashleigh Buhai throughout her professional career.

As the face of women’s golf in South Africa, Ashleigh Buhai has had a solid career, highlighted by a major win at the 2022 AIG Women’s Open.

Before earning her LPGA card in 2014, Buhai spent eight full-time seasons on the Ladies European Tour, tallying wins in 2007 (her rookie year) and in 2011. Since splitting her time between the two tours, Buhai has a total of five Ladies European Tour wins.

Since joining the LPGA for the 2015 season, Buhai has won two events, with the highlight of her LPGA career coming at the 2022 AIG Women’s Open. Outlasting Chun In-Gee, Buhai won her first major title with a par on the fourth playoff hole with a total of 10-under 274.

In June of 2023, Buhai picked up her first win in the United States at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. With three wins within the past calendar year, Buhai looks to defend her major title at Walton Heath Golf Club in Tadworth, England.

Nelly Korda says rules regarding slow play in golf ‘should be enforced’

Slow play is an on-again, off-again subject in the game at all levels.

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Nelly Korda is grouped with Lydia Ko and Charley Hull for the first two rounds of the 2023 AIG Women’s Open in Walton Heath in Surrey, England.

And that’s quite alright with Korda.

“I love Charley, she’s so much fun to be around. I love playing with her. I’ve played a couple practice rounds with her. We’re pretty friendly,” she said during her Wednesday pre-tournament news conference. Then Korda touched on another important aspect of Hull’s game.

“She’s a fast player. I enjoy that.”

Slow play is an on-again, off-again subject in the game at all levels. Just two weeks ago, Carlota Ciganda was docked two strokes for slow play at the previous LPGA major, the Amundi Evian Championship. She was officially disqualified from the event after signing an incorrect scorecard when she refused to acknowledge the two-stroke penalty.

“I think at the end of the day, the Rules of Golf are the Rules of Golf and they should be enforced,” Korda said. “I really like Carlota. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her. I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day the Rules of Golf are the Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.”

She said it can “throw off your rhythm as a golfer” to play with slow golfers. It can also be a drag for fans.

“I think it should be monitored. I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for 5 ½ hours to 6 hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling.”

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