Tag: CME Group Tour Championship

Lilia Vu inspired by her grandfather’s journey as she wins LPGA Player of Year

Vu started the 2022 season ranked No. 228 in the world. Six months later she reached No. 1.

NAPLES, Fla. — One memory has accompanied Lilia Vu through this journey. Through the ups and downs. Through the frustration and second thoughts. Even through the exhilaration.

The man she says is “the best person I’ve ever known,” is no longer with us. But Dinh Du, Vu’s grandfather, played a major role in Vu becoming the first American in nine years to win the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year.

And if there is any doubt, Vu was asked about her grandfather Sunday after shooting the low round of the day (65) at the CME Group Tour Championship, which gave her a fourth-place finish. She raised both her hands, backside facing front.

“I think about him all the time,” she said. “My nails are koi fish. He raised like 50 koi fish in his backyard when he was alive. I always think about him. He’s always next to me. Even when I get down on myself, I kind of think … okay, grandpa didn’t do all this for you to get upset over one shot.”

Vu, 26, entered the final event of the LPGA’s 2023 season with a 27-point lead over Celine Boutier in the Player of the Year race. She never relinquished that lead, finishing 21-under 267, six shots behind winner Amy Yang.

But this journey that started in her native Fountain Valley, California, and continued with a decorated career at UCLA before turning pro in 2019, was possible because of one man.

Vu’s grandfather got his family and others out of Vietnam by building a boat. He would leave his family and head to the countryside for a month at a time to work on the project. Finally, in 1982, Vu’s mother, Yvonne, and her siblings were loaded into the vessel that was meant for 54 people. But others saw this as their way to freedom, too, and soon about 30 more had arrived.

And nobody was turned away.

“My grandpa is the reason why I’m here,” Vu said earlier this season.

Soon the boat had sprung a leak and two days later, they were rescued by the USS Brewton, the naval ship that transported the body of the Vietnam Unknown Soldier to California in 1984 before it was flown for burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

“I’m kind of like him,” Vu said of her grandfather. “He went away a month at a time to go build this boat, right? He was just quietly hard-working. I think I’m kind of the same way. I’m not very vocal with what I do … I kind of just write my goals and put it away. I don’t openly say all the stuff. I wait until I achieve them. I think I have that same hard-working passion my grandpa does.”

Vu started the 2022 season at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio ranked No. 228 in the world. She was No. 12 early this year after winning her first LPGA championship and the first of her four victories this season, at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Six months later, she reached No. 1 after capturing the Women’s British Open and has held it since, with the exception of two weeks.

“I just keep thinking about the last thing he said to me, ‘Play your best,’ ” Vu said. “I think about that every day and I try to do that every day.”

Vu had difficulty dealing with expectations and pressure during her first few years as a professional. She even considered changing courses, from professional golf to law school, before being convinced by her mom to not give up just yet.

She treated every shot like “life and death.” And said her rookie year “destroyed” her.

This came, not coincidently in 2020, during the pandemic, when her grandfather died.

“I just remember being miserable,” she said. “This is like the dream, everything we ever worked for was to be out here, and I was just not in the right mindset for it.”

Still, nothing came easy and that pressure manifested itself on the 18th green of this tournament a year ago when she cried after finishing in the middle of the 60-woman field.

“I just wanted to win so badly,” she said. “I had a lot of fun in college. And once I turned pro, the fun went away because I put so much pressure.”

Vu thought back to what allowed her to have fun when she was in college and decided it was being part of the team. So she surrounded herself with people who recreated the kind of atmosphere she had while compiling eight titles at UCLA and becoming the winningest player in school history.

That and the inspiration she got from the man who led a young woman to adorn her fingernails with koi fish.

“When he was alive, he was always working in the backyard, working on cars, doing stuff, and he was just a quiet guy,” Vu said about her grandfather. “I feel like, I don’t know, he’s the best person I’ve ever known.

“Oh, my God I’m going to cry.”

With that, Vu went off to the 18th green at Tiburon Golf Club to collect another trophy. This time with tears welling in her eyes for all the right reasons.

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See who collected all the LPGA season-ending accolades at 2023 CME Group Tour Championship

Meet the LPGA award winners from a busy 2023 season.

NAPLES, Fla. — While Amy Yang took home the title and biggest check of the week – $2 million – there was plenty more on the line at the LPGA’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

Lilia Vu, the player who seemingly came out of nowhere to own 2023, put a bow on several more accolades after clinching the Rolex Annika Major Award earlier this season. A two-time major winner this season, Vu won her first tournament of the year in Thailand and kept on going.

“Last year I played golf with a lot of worry,” she said. “I just was worried about everything.”

Not anymore.

Here’s a look at how the LPGA’s season-long awards shook out in sunny Naples, Florida:

Amy Yang wins LPGA season finale at 2023 CME Group Tour Championship

This is Yang’s first win since 2019.

NAPLES, Fla. – Amy Yang battles something she calls “ego talk.” It’s the stuff she tells herself that gets in the way when the pressure is on. She dealt with it early on Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship, when she doubted herself and wondered if the day would end with just another close call.

This time, however, Yang shut down that ego talk.

“This is very meaningful,” said Yang in her new bright blue blazer, the CME trophy by her side and a $2 million cardboard check somewhere nearby.

Yang, 34, stayed strong down the stretch mentally at Tiburon Golf Club, where she holed out for eagle on the 13th hole and birdied the last two to win by three over Alison Lee and Nasa Hataoka. It was Yang’s first LPGA title since 2019, her fifth overall, and her first on U.S. soil.

Amy Yang of Korea celebrates with the CME Globe trophy and her check during the trophy ceremony after winning the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 19, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

For Lee, finishing runner-up in her last three LPGA events felt bittersweet. While she’s playing the best golf of her life, that elusive first LPGA victory remains out of reach.

Good friend Megan Khang, who finally broke through with her first victory earlier this year at the CPKC Women’s Open in her 191st career start, sat in on Lee’s post-round press conference.

“This isn’t really a question,” said Khang as she took the mic, “but as a friend, I am a proud of you. You’ve been playing so good, Alison. It’s coming.”

An emotional Lee, who made her 179th career start at the CME, has credited new friend Fred Couples with helping instill the confidence she’s felt in recent months, noting that he texts her daily with words of encouragement.

“So many times I would joke around saying I’m just never going to win out here,” said Lee, who was a standout amateur player at UCLA before turning professional. “I really didn’t think I could ever do it.

“But to play the last three weeks just continuously putting the pressure on everyone on the leaderboard and putting myself in contention has just been really cool for me and been a really awesome experience.”

It wasn’t long ago that Yang, who suffered from tennis elbow after too much rock climbing, wondered if her career might come to an end earlier than expected. She also wondered how much longer she wanted to keep grinding through tour life.

Longtime coach Tony Ziegler told her life’s too short to keep playing if she wasn’t happy. She needed to make a decision.

Two weeks later, Yang came back and told him that she wanted to keep playing and she wanted to win. Ziegler repeated what he’s said to her often in recent years: “Your best golf is ahead of you.”

“Back in the day,” said Ziegler, “when she played really good golf, she had a lot of pressure and expectation, and she didn’t know how to deal with it.

“As she’s gotten older, she knows how to deal with it.”

The woman who had a smiley face stitched on the front of her visors beamed after that final-round 66. She finished at 27-under 261 for the tournament, shattering the event’s previous record by four shots.

For a long time, Yang was always in the best-to-never-win-a-major conversation on the LPGA. With 21 top-10 finishes at the majors, including two top 5s this season, she mostly flies under the radar at big events now.

“She’s just at ease with herself, no pressure, no expectation,” said Ziegler. “Basically playing for herself.”

Yang enjoyed a champagne bath on the 18th green after many of her friends came out to celebrate. Even before the injury, a burned-out Yang wondered if it might be best to retire. In time, she learned how to create a more balanced life, and wrapped up her 16th season on tour looking like a woman who has more time to shine.

 “You know,” said Yang, “I still can’t believe I did it.”

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After rock climbing injury nearly derailed her career, Amy Yang back on top at CME

“Feel quite nervous being in contention,” said Yang.

NAPLES, Fla. – It wasn’t all that long ago that Amy Yang wondered if her LPGA days were numbered. She’d taken her new hobby of rock climbing – at the gym – a bit too far and suffered from tennis elbow in her left arm. She lost distance as it hurt too much to get through the ball.

Now 34-year-old Yang, a four-time winner on the LPGA who joined the tour in 2008, is fully healed and back to playing some of the best golf of her life as she co-leads the CME Group Tour Championship with Nasa Hataoka at 21-under 295. Yang followed Friday’s 63 with a smooth 64. She hasn’t made a bogey at Tiburon Golf Club since the first hole of the opening round.

“Feel quite nervous being in contention,” said Yang, “but I never thought like I have to follow the 9 under par yesterday, because golf, you never know.”

Yang, who shot 61 in the third round of The Annika last week, is no stranger to low scores. She holds a share of the LPGA’s nine-hole record in relation to par at 9 under as well as a share of the lowest nine-hole raw score (27).

In 2015, she tied Annika Sorenstam’s record for total birdies in one round at 13. (Sorenstam’s 13 birdies came during her historic 59.)

Yang also shares the record with Beth Daniel for most consecutive birdies in one round at nine.

Alison Lee of the United States plays her shot from the third tee during the third round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 18, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

While Hataoka and Yang combine for 10 LPGA titles, Alison Lee, who sits alone in solo third three shots back, would give just about anything to collect her first.

The former UCLA standout is on the hot streak of her life right now with a pair of runner-up finishes in her last two LPGA starts as well as a recent victory on the LET in Saudi Arabia. Lee credits her turnaround in part to the encouragement of new friend and mentor Fred Couples, who texts her every day.

Before Saturday’s round, Couples messaged: “OK, kid, today just keep using your swing to carry you. You’re putting great, playing like the champ that you are. Head high and brain clear, go get ’em.”

After excelling at every level as an amateur, Lee had resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t be the player she thought she’d be growing up.

Now, she’s starting to believe that maybe she can.

“I felt like it was so unattainable for so long,” she said. “For it to be like so close, I want it so bad. I just want it so bad.”

World No. 1 Lilia Vu, currently T-7, has all but formerly locked up the Rolex Player of the Year Award, which is worth one LPGA Hall of Fame point. Celine Boutier needed to win this week to have a chance. She currently trails by 14 strokes.

In the Vare Trophy race, it will take a special round from Hyo Joo Kim to knock off Atthaya Thitikul. Kim needs a round of 64 or better to match Thitikul’s current average. Thitikul can better her current average with a 69.

The winner of the Vare Trophy also receives one Hall of Fame point. A total of 27 points are needed to qualify for one of the toughest Halls in all of sports.

ADHD revelations bring life into focus for former CME champ Charley Hull

“Sometimes you feel like you’re a prisoner in your own head.”

NAPLES, Fla. – There are times when Georgia Hall goes out to breakfast with her best mate Charley Hull and finds herself dining alone midway through her meal. Hull isn’t one to stay in one place for very long. When she’s done eating, she leaves.

“That’s just Charley,” said a smiling Hall, who isn’t bothered one bit.

Hull can’t remember the last time she watched a movie in the theater.

“I’d have to go to about 10 toilet breaks,” she said, “and just keep coming in and out. It’s just crazy.”

Hull, 27, told the BBC back in July that she’d been unofficially diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The realization came earlier this year after playing a casual round of golf with a doctor. Hull has been learning more and more about the disorder ever since.

Photos: Charley Hull through the years

At the LET’s Aramco event in London this summer, Hull slept for 2½ hours over the course of four days. She eventually crashed, sleeping for 16 hours straight.

“I had Georgia ringing my phone,” she said, “checking if I was OK.”

Charley Hull of England looks on during the second round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 17, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

Now the eighth-ranked player in the world, Hull views golf as her therapy but can’t be away from home for too long because she’s a self-described “overthinker.” It’s the downtime at tournaments that she finds most difficult. Hull tries to fill the time as much she can at the gym or with Hall, her friend of 17 years. She enjoys coloring books and cold showers.

Things began to take a turn for the worse last spring after she missed the cut at the Chevron Championship and went to a friend’s house in Los Angeles. She was averaging about an hour of sleep per night at that point and felt completely drained as her mind raced relentlessly.

In late April, Hull abruptly pulled out of the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown and went home, leaving Team England scrambling to fly in a replacement. Hull eventually decided to open up about her diagnosis after receiving criticism for how she’d handled the Crown.

When Hull won the CME Group Tour Championship seven years ago, she knew nothing about anxiety.

“I used to laugh at people who had it because I didn’t understand it,” she said.

It wasn’t until 2018 that something in her personal life, which she doesn’t want to talk about, triggered a change.

She’s been finding ways to cope ever since.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re a prisoner in your own head,” said Hull, who describes herself as moving at one speed: 100 mph. Her coping strategy is to leave the house at 7 a.m. and not come back until 11 p.m.

“I can’t sit down,” she said.

Anyone who has watched Hull compete can’t help but notice her speed, particularly the way her blonde ponytail whips about as she lashes after a golf ball. Everything Hull does feels like it’s on a fast-forward setting, from the way she walks to how she talks.

Hull isn’t one to dwell on a poor shot or an unlucky bounce. Her mind won’t allow it.

Charley Hull of England celebrates with Georgia Hall in the 18th green after winning The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America at Old American Golf Club on October 02, 2022 in The Colony, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

“She’s just so exciting to watch,” said Hall. “She plays really carefree, and it’s just great to see. A lot of players wish that they could play as free as her.”

Not surprisingly, slow play is Hull’s enemy. She tries to combat boredom by soaking in the views and drinks plenty of water to keep her brain sharp.

“I drink a lot of water, and I’ve never understood why I drink a lot of water,” said Hull. “I found out it’s actually a big thing with ADHD.”

Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, co-founders of Vision54, have noticed that many young people they work with these days struggle to stay focused during a lesson.

They’ve found attention training to be a helpful practice for many of their students, asking them to, for example, make a swing and feel the pressure of their grip. Can they get to 15 seconds of following their own breath? Can they keep their eyes softly focused on a target for 10 seconds? It’s like training a muscle.

When working with someone with ADHD, Nilsson and Marriott might change activities at a faster rate or ask a student to teach them what they’re working on to create a more lasting impression.

“As little talking as possible,” said Marriott, “and more doing.”

It’s estimated that, as of 2020, more than 366 million adults worldwide have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Hull’s ability to take certain medications for ADHD is restricted by LPGA anti-doping policies, though she worries that too people many have become reliant on pills.

“I feel like doctors just handing out tablets willy nilly is disgusting,” said Hull, “because it can actually make the person worse.”

A two-time winner on the LPGA, Hull has finished runner-up four times this season and entered the weekend inside the top 20 at the season-ending CME. Perhaps her most memorable on-course moment from the season came at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, when she took an aggressive line under a tree with a 3-wood trying to reach the iconic 18th green in two to put pressure on leader Allisen Corpuz.

“You know the saying, shy kids don’t get sweets?” Hull asked her caddie shortly before taking a mighty big swing.

Hull works fast and aggressively in all parts of life, which is what makes her so much fun to watch. When she won her second LPGA title in Texas last year, she celebrated by buying herself not one but two Rolex watches.

And while Hull isn’t shy about sharing the details of her daily struggles, she isn’t looking for sympathy or offering any excuses.

“I’ve learned that with life you’ve just got to ride it out, because you have good days and bad days,” she said while signing autographs in Naples.

“I feel like people are way too soft these days. You can’t say certain things and this and that. And a lot of people do blame it on mental health. But at the end of the day, go back 50 years ago … times were a lot harder, and people just got on with it.

“People just need to get on with it these days.”

Nelly Korda makes hole-in-one at the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship

That’s gonna be expensive, Nelly.

During the third round of the CME Group Tour Championship, Nelly Korda made a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

Korda opened her day with a birdie four at the par-5 first and added another at the par-5 sixth. After striking her tee shot on the eighth, she stared down the ball knowing it was good — but it’s hard to believe she thought it was going to be that good!

CME: Leaderboard | Photos

After landing 10 feet short of the flag, Korda’s ball rolled end-over-end like a putt right into the hole. The cheer from the crowd was huge as Korda and her playing partners celebrated her ace.

Korda was 4 under through eight holes Saturday, tied for sixth at 12 under, four back of the lead.

5 things to know about the CME, including how Fred Couples got Alison Lee to believe in herself

“Like (Couples) just was hammering into me like, you need to believe.”

NAPLES, Fla. – Scores at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship continue to plummet at Tiburon Golf Club as Alison Lee and Nasa Hataoka set a new 36-hole scoring record of 14-under 130.

With a $2 million winner’s check on the line to close out the year, expect plenty of fireworks as many of the hottest players in the game continue to show strong form down the stretch.

As Lee looks to win for the first time in 179 starts on the LPGA, veteran Amy Yang looks to win for the first time on American soil while Nasa Hataoka looks to close out a big title after several close calls at the majors in 2023.

Here are five things to know heading into the weekend in Naples:

Anna Nordqvist shows tremendous grit with opening 65 at CME after ex-husband’s sudden death

“It’s been a lot of the ups and downs, just trying to fight.”

NAPLES, Fla. – There are 65s, and then there’s Anna Nordqvist’s 65 at Tiburon Golf Club’s Gold Course during the opening round of the CME Group Tour Championship on Thursday. It wasn’t about the golf, though that was excellent, it was the effort it took to get there after what’s been a nightmarish run off the golf course.

In August, Nordqvist revealed on Instagram that she and Kevin McAlpine were in the process of a divorce. Last month, McAlpine’s father Hamish confirmed to The Courier that his son had died suddenly at age 39. McAlpine was a caddie for a number of players on the LPGA after first starting with Lexi Thompson at the 2017 Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns.

“I’m not doing very well,” Nordqvist told the media after her 7-under round in Naples. “It’s been a lot of the ups and downs, just trying to fight.”

HOW TO WATCH: 2023 CME Group Tour Championship

Nordqvist, 36, decided two Sundays ago that she would play the last two events on the LPGA schedule in Florida. She worked with her coach in Arizona the weekend before The Annika and could only hit three balls during her lesson before she was out of breath.

Two days prior, her head was spinning so much during practice she thought she was going to faint.

“The fact that I made it through four rounds last week,” said Nordqvist, “I was very proud of myself. Just felt like a victory teeing it up.”

Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen and her husband came out to the 18th green at Tiburon Golf Club to offer support. On Monday Nordqvist, who trails leaders Running Yin and Nasa Hataoka by two, had dinner with her Solheim Cup partner, Leona Maguire. Those small gestures have meant much to Nordqvist.

“Anna is probably one of the strongest people I know,” said Maguire. “She’s been through a lot and handled it with a lot more grace than a lot of people would’ve.”

2023 Solheim Cup fans
Anna Nordqvist of Team Europe interacts with young fans during practice prior to the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on Sept. 20, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Nordqvist has an old friend and caddie on the bag in Jason Gilroyed, and she’s staying with a local family that has welcomed her in recent years.

The three-time major winner said her body has never been the same since she was diagnosed with mononucleosis in 2017. She loves to practice but is finding her limits, especially during this emotionally difficult time.

“Definitely mentally being exhausted, my mind is not there,” she said. “Couple weeks ago, I think I hit a nine-foot putt like six feet by and missed that. It’s just tough when your head is not there. It’s really hard to play. You just don’t recognize yourself.”

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As LPGA season comes to a close, Rose Zhang plans full class schedule at Stanford to start 2024

Zhang said she might play in one or two events on the LPGA early in 2024 while she’s back in school.

NAPLES, Fla. ­– It was around this time last year that Rose Zhang told Stanford coach Anne Walker that she planned to turn pro after her sophomore season. Zhang couldn’t have dreamed then that she’d win on the LPGA in her first professional start, something that hadn’t been done in 72 years.

That dreamy debut at the Mizuho Americans Open put the 20-year-old on a whirlwind path to this week’s CME Group Tour Championship, where she’s one of nine first-timers in the field.

Zhang, 20, went back to Stanford last week after her most recent event in Japan and enjoyed a few days off. She’s yearning for more downtime after a packed year that saw her win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the NCAA Championship, and the Mizuho – to name a few – as well as make her first Solheim Cup appearance.

2023 Augusta National National Women's Amateur
Rose Zhang holds the trophy after winning the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

Next year, however, Zhang plans to play a lighter schedule at the beginning of the season as she goes back to school for the winter quarter. Zhang aims to take five classes, or 22 units, in Palo Alto. She’s just over halfway done with what’s required for her communication degree.

Stanford’s winter quarter begins in January and lasts through March. Zhang said she might play in one or two events on the LPGA during that time.

HOW TO WATCH: 2023 CME Group Tour Championship

Zhang heads into her final LPGA event of the season No. 26 in the Rolex Rankings. She’s 18th on the money list with $1,314,794 and ranks fifth in greens in regulation. She has five top-10s, including a victory, in 12 LPGA starts.

Zhang described her half rookie season on the LPGA as “fulfilling.” The biggest lesson learned, she said, is that it’s OK to say no.

“Yes, you have your responsibilities and obligations for media, sponsor outings,” said Zhang, “but ultimately you have to learn how to take care of yourself and your own work, your own craft, and that’s to be playing at your best on the golf course.”

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How to watch as LPGA finale takes center stage Sunday on NBC with 2023 CME Group Tour Championship

It’s a rare Sunday when the LPGA is on live network television while the PGA Tour is not.

NAPLES, Fla. — As the LPGA season comes to a close, Sunday’s final round will take TV’s center stage.

Golf Channel will have live coverage of the first three rounds of the CME Group Tour Championship, with NBC taking over on Sunday. With the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic on Golf Channel all four days, it’s a rare Sunday when the LPGA is on live network television while the PGA Tour is not.

The 2023 CME Group Tour Championship has a $7 million purse with $2 million going to the winner. In 2024, the money gets much, much bigger.

In addition, ESPN+ has been added to the lineup, with featured group coverage all four days, plus16th hole coverage during Sunday’s final round.

It’s the third LPGA event to be featured on ESPN+ but the first this year. ESPN+ coverage of on Friday and Saturday will be finalized after pairings and tee times are announced.

Thursday, Nov. 16

7:45 a.m., first round featured groups, ESPN+

2 to 3 p.m., first round, Peacock

3 to 5 p.m., first round, Golf Channel and Peacock

Friday, Nov. 17

TBD, second round featured groups, ESPN+

2 to 3 p.m., second round, Peacock

3 to 5 p.m., second round, Golf Channel and Peacock

Saturday, Nov. 18

TBD, third round featured groups, ESPN+

2 to 5 p.m., third round, Peacock

4 to 7 p.m., third round, tape-delayed on Golf Channel

Sunday, Nov. 19

9 a.m. to 3 p.m., final round featured groups, 16th hole

1 to 4 p.m., final round, NBC and Peacock

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