Lilia Vu’s title defense of the Chevron Championship was over before it began.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Lilia Vu’s title defense of the Chevron Championship was over before it began. The world No. 2 had a nagging back injury flare up during warm-ups at the Club at Carlton Woods and withdrew from the event before her 1:10 p.m. CDT tee time, according to an LPGA official. Vu is expected to release a statement later in the afternoon.
Earlier this season, Vu withdrew from two events during the Asian swing. The former UCLA standout said during a pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday at the Chevron that she was 95 percent recovered.
Apparently things turned for the worse quickly.
“It’s been a rough couple months battling with my injury,” Vu said on Tuesday. “It’s been a little scary. I’ve definitely cried a lot on the range sometimes because my back just couldn’t hold up.”
In a statement posted on social media, Vu stated “I have been dealing with a back injury for a while now. Some days are better than others, and today was unfortunately not a good day. During my normal warm-up routine, I had severe discomfort in my back and I felt that I could not compete up to my standards and made the decision to withdraw from the tournament before my tee time.”
Vu won four times on the LPGA last season, including two major championships, and was the tour’s Player of the Year.
She was asked earlier in the week what she thought about during the time she spent in the scoring area last year at The Club of Carlton Woods, waiting to see about a playoff.
“I think it was cold, and I was a little worried about my back,” she recalled. “It was actually really clutch last year. My physio was actually out of here on her way to Dallas, and I think after 30 minutes on her drive there she turned around and came back and had enough time to help me on the range and get ready for the playoff.”
What a night: A private helicopter, a world-renowned chef, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and Bò Kho.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Lilia Vu didn’t see the menu for the Champions Dinner at the Chevron Championship until she sat down Monday evening. There was supposed to be a group phone call about it when Vu was playing in China, but a bad flareup with her back disrupted the plan, and she ended up conversing with renowned chef Thomas Keller via group chat.
“I told Chef Keller, hey, really love steak, made it my personality trait,” said Vu, who won her first major championship title last year at The Club at Carlton Woods.
“Then I also said that I’m Vietnamese, and I kind of want to do some Vietnamese flavors. You can do whatever you want. I know he’s so GOAT’ed, so like, just let him do whatever he wants.”
Needless to say, Vu was impressed when she saw that Keller, owner of The French Laundry and once named the Best Chef in America, had made Bò Kho, a dish her mom makes that’s her absolute favorite. Every single course, she said, was a home run.
The dinner began with a white asparagus panna cotta, followed by sweet pea agnolotti and Bò Kho, which the menu notes as “All Day Braised Snake River Farms American Wagyu Brisket.”
“For that Vietnamese dish he brought out,” she said, “I looked at my whole table, everything was clear. Everyone ate every single piece off that plate. Yeah, it was amazing.”
Jennifer Kupcho, the 2022 champion, had one request from Keller last year: macaroni and cheese.
Kupcho was one of several players who arrived to the dinner via private helicopter.
“Kupcho tried to convince me,” said Vu, “but I was like, no, you go do it. Send me a video after.”
Past champions in the field also received a Bentley courtesy car for the week. Past champions who weren’t part of the field were chauffeured around in a Rolls-Royce.
Every player in the field received a free Avis rental car.
— The Chevron Championship (@Chevron_Golf) April 16, 2024
There was a lot of angst when this event moved from beloved Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, to Texas. Even past champion Stacy Lewis, whose childhood home isn’t too far from the course, had mixed feelings.
But on a day when the championship’s purse moved to $7.9 million, up $4.8 million from when Chevron assumed title sponsorship in 2022, Lewis had nothing but praise.
“They’re pushing the envelope with this tournament, and I like it,” she said. “They want to make it special for us, and last night was certainly a testament to that.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda enters this week’s Chevron on a streak of four victories, including the last three scheduled events. She’s the undisputed favorite, and her trek toward rarified air takes a lot of eyeballs away from Vu, who prefers it that way.
Vu followed her breakout victory here in Texas with three more titles, including a second major at the AIG Women’s British Open. She ended the 2023 campaign as LPGA Player of the Year.
So far, her 2024 campaign hasn’t gone to plan.
“It’s been a rough couple months battling with my injury,” said Vu, who withdrew from back-to-back events in Asia this spring. “It’s been a little scary. I’ve definitely cried a lot on the range sometimes because my back just couldn’t hold up.”
Vu said she’s 95 percent there now physically and is focused on trying to enjoy herself. She’s under the belief that her body aches because she’s been internally angry inside, frustrated with her performance when she has been able to play. Vu has only one top 10 showing so far this season.
It helps that the California native likes the vibe here in Houston, calling it calming. Almost like home in a way.
“Even my parents were talking about it last night,” said Vu. “Could be a place to consider to move.”
Last week, it was illness. This week, the top-ranked player has a different reason for the WD.
For a second week in a row, Lilia Vu has withdrawn from an LPGA event. Last week, the World No. 1 withdrew during Sunday’s final round at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. LPGA media reported that it was due to illness.
This time at the Blue Bay LPGA event in China, it’s being listed as an injury.
Vu, who opened with a 72 in China, said this at the start of the week in a press conference: “Last week my body wasn’t feeling great overall physically, and it was just Sunday that I couldn’t handle. So I took the whole day off yesterday and hopefully I can regroup and have a good week this week.”
Last summer, Vu had a back injury scare at the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey that forced her to withdraw. She took nearly a month off before returning at the KPMG Women’s PGA in late June.
“I’m really grateful to be here right now because it could have been bad with my back,” Vu said last year at the KPMG.
The 2023 Chevron Championship is coming in five weeks, and Vu will be looking to defend her title in Texas.
The inaugural Blue Bay event on Hainan Island was held in the fall of 2014.
The Blue Bay LPGA returns this week for the first time since 2018, and much has changed. World No. 1 Lilia Vu, for example, was still in college.
Shanshan Feng, China’s trailblazing LPGA player and 2017 Blue Bay champion, has since retired from golf. Ruoning Yin, the fresh-faced major champion poised to challenge Feng’s records, was years away from even turning professional.
Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, the defending champion, has won twice since 2018 and recently married her longtime sweetheart, Santiago Carranza.
“I’ve always wanted to play in front of a home crowd,” said Yin, a two-time winner on tour and short-term No. 1. “Last week in Singapore, after the last hole, I heard people in the crowd cheering for me in Chinese. It was heart-warming to see.”
Gaby Lopez of Mexico celebrates after winning the Blue Bay LPGA on November 10, 2018, in Hainan Island, China. (Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images)
The inaugural Blue Bay event on Hainan Island was held in the fall of 2014. It was halted after five stagings due, in part, to the global pandemic. Three past champions are in the field this week, including Minjee Lee, Sei Young Kim and Lopez.
“I think that every single time you’re in a place where you’ve played good and you have performed well,” said Lopez, “there is this kind of sort of calmness that comes with good memories.”
There are 25 China Golf Association members in the field of 108. Unlike the previous two Asian events, this one features a 36-hole cut to top 65 and ties and a purse of $2.2 million.
Vu, who withdrew during Sunday’s final round in Singapore with an illness, sounds like she’s on the mend, though she didn’t offer many details during a pre-tournament press conference.
“Last week my body wasn’t feeling great overall physically,” said Vu, “and it was just Sunday that I couldn’t handle. So I took the whole day off yesterday, and hopefully I can regroup and have a good week this week.”
The first full-field LPGA event of the year is here as a loaded cast of stars are in Bradenton, Florida, for the LPGA Drive On Championship at Bradenton Country Club.
World No. 1 Lilia Vu is joined by Nelly Korda, Linn Grant, Allisen Corpuz, Leona Maguire, Tournament of Champions winner Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson.
“(Lexi) has been a huge supporter of our events and always comes and clears her schedule without hesitation.”
Morgan Pressel’s competitive career on the LPGA might be over, but her impact in the game and beyond continues to flourish. The 35-year-old major champion turned lead analyst for Golf Channel’s LPGA coverage raised $900,000 this week at her annual Morgan & Friends charity event.
The event, held annually at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton and Banyan Golf Club in nearby West Palm Beach, Florida, has raised a total of $12.5 million over the years in the fight against breast cancer. Pressel’s mother Kathy died of breast cancer in 2003, and her memory is at the heart of the mission.
Golfweek caught up with the former phenom to talk about her foundation, the friends who step up every year to help and the 2024 LPGA season, which gets started next week with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions:
Here’s a look at which top players are in the field for this year’s TOC and which ones are sitting out.
The LPGA season kicks off next week with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, and World No. 1 Lilia Vu headlines the field. It marks the first time that Vu has been eligible for the field given that she won her first career title last February at the Honda LPGA Thailand and went on to win three more times, including two majors.
The season-opener takes place Jan. 18-21 at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida. LPGA winners from the past two seasons are invited to compete for a $1.5 million purse while a field of celebrities vie for $500,000.
Once again, Lake Nona resident Annika Sorenstam will compete in the celebrity field along with NBC’s Dylan Dreyer, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Landon Donovan, eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, country music star Chris Lane and World Series Champion John Smoltz.
While Vu and No. 2 Ruoning Yin begin their 2024 seasons next week, six players inside the top 10 of the Rolex Rankings are skipping the first event. For many international players, the lure of a longer offseason outweighs the perks of the TOC.
While there are two events in Florida to start the season in 2024, with the LPGA Drive On event in Bradenton the following week, the tour then has three weeks off before beginning the spring Asian swing in Thailand.
Here’s a look at which top players are in the field for this year’s TOC and which ones are sitting out:
All three major champions were first-time winners of a GWAA Player of the Year award.
Jon Rahm, Lilia Vu and Steve Stricker were voted 2023 Players of the Year in their respective divisions by the Golf Writers Association of America. The trio will be honored on April 10 at the organization’s 50th annual ISPS Handa GWAA Dinner in Augusta, Georgia, on the eve of the 88th Masters.
All three major champions were first-time winners of a GWAA Player of the Year award.
Rahm, the GWAA’s Male Player of the Year, captured his first Masters in 2023 after winning three times earlier in the season at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American Express and the Genesis Invitational.
“I am very grateful to have received this award,” Rahm said in a statement released by his manager. “Our writers carefully follow every event and shot throughout the year, so being chosen as the Player of the Year by them is something I am going to cherish.”
Rahm received 48.9 percent of the first-place votes, beating a field of finalists that included FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland of Norway (33 percent) and Texas’ Scottie Scheffler (18.1 percent), a two-time winner and 2022 GWAA Male Player of the Year.
Lilia Vu of the United States poses for a photo with Annika Sorenstam as she accepts the 2023 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award during the 2023 LPGA Rolex Players Awards at Tiburon Golf Club on November 16, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Vu, a former UCLA standout who nearly quit professional golf, won her first career LPGA title in her first start of 2023 and followed it up with three more victories, including two majors – the Chevron Championship and AIG Women’s Open.
“I think it’s just been wild,” Vu said at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, where she clinched LPGA Rolex Player of the Year honors. Vu became only the second American since Beth Daniel in 1994 to win Rolex Player of the Year, joining Stacy Lewis, who won the award in 2014.
“I came in (to 2023) with no expectations because last year I had too many, and was hard on myself. I’m trying to enjoy every moment and be grateful I’m out here.”
Vu earned 72.9 percent of the GWAA’s first-place votes, defeating two other 2023 major winners and fellow finalists: France’s Celine Boutier (Amundi Evian Championship) and China’s Ruoning Yin (KMPG Women’s PGA Championship).
Stricker, 56, dominated the PGA Tour Champions in 2023, winning six times in 16 starts with five runner-up finishes.
Among Stricker’s victories were three senior majors: Regions Tradition, Kaulig Companies Championship (formerly the Senior Players) and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. He finished runner-up to Bernhard Langer at the U.S. Senior Open in his home state of Wisconsin.
“It’s always special to be recognized by the GWAA, and especially since the award is about the whole year and what I was able to accomplish this year,” said Stricker, winner of the GWAA’s Hogan Award, given to a player who “continues to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.”
Stricker claimed 79.9 percent of the first-place votes, defeating Langer, who set the all-time mark for PGA Tour Champions victories (46), and Stephen Ames, who won four times last season.
Not surprisingly, Stricker cited two moments with family as particularly special highlights.
“First, having (daughter) Izzi on the bag for the win at the Senior PGA,” he said, “and secondly, the PNC Championship, where our whole family was involved. We didn’t come close to winning, but that whole experience was amazing.”
Last January, few would’ve put anyone on this short list in the LPGA Player of the Year conversation.
At the start of the 2023 season, it’s safe to say that few would’ve put anyone on this short list in the LPGA Player of the Year conversation.
The start of the year seemed primed for another Lydia Ko show, especially after she opened 2023 with a victory on the LET in Saudi Arabia. Nelly Korda won late in 2022 after an injury-plagued year. Would she continue what she started in 2021?
Instead, both Ko and Korda were among the winless on the LPGA this season, while three new heavy hitters emerged.
In the end, the winner was clear. Without further ado, here’s Golfweek’s Female Player of the Year …
May the journeys of those who triumphed in 2023 be a source of inspiration to those on the verge of calling it quits.
Lindy Duncan, the 208th-ranked player in the world, considered 2023 to be a make-or-break year. She began the season with no status, and told herself, I’m either going to get better at golf, or I’m going to do something else.
Last November at The Annika, the penultimate event of the LPGA season, Duncan emerged from the scoring tent on Sunday in a jolly good mood. She’d finished the season 92nd on the CME points list, her card secured for another year.
“I feel like I’m playing some of the best that I’ve played,” she said, “ever.”
While Duncan wasn’t in the headlines this season, her comeback story is one of many. Lilia Vu thought about going to law school not long ago, after a 2019 rookie season on the LPGA left her feeling “destroyed.” Vu’s mother convinced her to keep going.
“I just remember being miserable,” said Vu. “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.”
Lilia Vu celebrates on the 18th green after winning the 2023 AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England. (Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Ruoning Yin missed the cut in seven of her first nine starts as a rookie last year. She, too, called home and told her mom she wanted to quit. She was hitting it poorly, which led her to practice even harder, ballooning from 100 balls per range session to 500.
Now she was fed up and in pain.
“My mom told me, if you cannot swing just don’t swing,” recalled Yin, “just do your putting drills, practice putting and chipping – you’ll be fine. No matter what, we still love you.”
Coming back from maternity leave proved more stressful than Azahara Munoz imagined. The battle to keep her tour card made her feel like throwing up all week at The Annika. Munoz came into the event 100th on the CME points list. The top 100 keep full status for 2024. Munoz said she was so stressed out she didn’t even want to tee it up.
“I was like, if this is how stressful it is, I don’t know if I want to play golf,” she said. “It’s no fun at all.”
Azahara Munoz of Spain plays a shot on the 16th hole during the final round of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on Nov. 12, 2023, in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Munoz ultimately played well enough to contend that event, vaulting up to 64th on the points list after taking a share of second at Pelican Golf Club.
Players in all stages of life and career face turning points, and there were stories of triumph around every corner this season.
Alison Lee has been open about her rock bottom. After her parents convinced her in 2019 to give it one more try, Lee Monday-qualified to get into an early-season event in 2020 and knew that if she played well, she’d move up the priority list on the next reshuffle and get into more fields.
But then she had a panic attack on the drive to the golf course.
“Every mile I got closer to the course,” Lee wrote on lpga.com, “the more anxiety overcame my body. I couldn’t breathe, and I could hardly see with all the tears streaming down my face. The feelings became so overwhelming that I began to look at the concrete barrier on the interstate and considered crashing my car into it, because I would rather have been in the hospital than have to tee off and compete. In that moment, anywhere else besides the golf course felt safe.”
The pressure to win on the LPGA took Lee to a dark place.
In 2023, Lee came closer than ever to finally achieving that lifelong goal. And while she didn’t get there, finishing runner-up in her last three events left her feeling rejuvenated. All signs point to Lee’s best golf being ahead of her.
“All the dreams I had when I turned pro nine years ago, I haven’t been able to accomplish any of them,” said Lee.
“If my career starts now at the age of 28, of course I want to keep going. I still have a lot of goals I want to achieve that 19-year-old Alison, when she turned pro, all the things she wanted to accomplish.”
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)
Duncan, 32, was the NGCA National Player of the Year as a junior at Duke. She was a first-team All-American all four seasons and earned LPGA status soon after graduation.
If Duncan could go back 10 years and give her younger self some advice, she’d say to find joy in the pursuit rather than the destination.
“And she wouldn’t understand it,” Duncan said with a laugh.
Duncan still gets a mighty thrill from competition. She loves traveling to Asia for tournaments. She’s hitting it farther than ever and feels healthy enough to keep up the grind.
When Duncan started 2023 with no status and no sponsors, she thought about what her next chapter might look like, should the season not go as planned. While she didn’t get far enough in that thought exercise to have the details planned out, she came to this conclusion: “I’m going to be OK.”
Lindy Duncan of the United States hits her tee shot on the 10th hole during the second round of the TOTO Japan Classic at the Taiheiyo Club’s Minori Course on November 3, 2023, in Omitama, Ibaraki, Japan. (Photo by Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images)
That gave her the peace and the clarity to put it all on the line once more.
Comebacks come in all shapes and sizes, but the feelings of joy and satisfaction are universal.
May the journeys of those who triumphed in 2023 be a source of inspiration to those on the verge of calling it quits.
Just think, Lilia Vu could be nearly done with law school by now.
