Tag: lilia

Solheim Cup: Lilia Vu easily secures Team USA spot solheim,cup,lilia,vu,easily,secures,team,usa,spot,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

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Team USA captain Stacey Lewis has her second team member for the 19th edition of the Solheim Cup. From September 13-15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., Team USA will look to reclaim the Cup on home soil against the European team.

On Tuesday, former World No. 1 Lilia Vu earned enough points to clinch her spot on the 2024 team. She tied for second at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, giving her 1,932.50 total points throughout the qualifying period.

From the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament through the final day of the AIG Women’s Open on Aug. 25, players can accumulate points to try and qualify for spots on the Solheim Cup teams.

All five of her LPGA victories came during that period. She won four times last season, including two majors, and earned the Rolex Player of the Year.

This season, Vu battled a back injury that forced her to withdraw from The Chevron Championship and take two months off. However, her fifth victory came in her first start back at the Meijer LPGA Classic a couple of weeks ago. The 26-year-old defeated Grace Kim and Lexi Thompson in a three-hole playoff.

Despite her back issues, Lewis knows her experience will be so beneficial in Virginia.

“It’s been very exciting to see how she’s played the last two starts, coming out of the injury with her win and really just picking up where she left off,” Lewis said in an LPGA press release.

“She’s a tremendous player, from ball striking to putting, with a true all-around game. We’re excited to have her back for her second Solheim Cup, with an opportunity to step up and become a leader on this team.”

Vu also qualified for Team USA last year as she made her Solheim Cup debut. She went 1-3-0 at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, claiming the singles match over Madelene Sagstrom.

The former UCLA golfer became the second automatic qualifier for Team USA in 2024. She joins current World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who secured her spot after the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Korda has six wins since the start of 2024 and held a commanding lead in the points race.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

LPGA: Lilia Vu outlasts Lexi Thompson in epic playoff lpga,lilia,vu,outlasts,lexi,thompson,in,epic,playoff,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

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Somehow, someway, Lilia Vu is an LPGA winner again.

Vu, the second-best player in the world behind Nelly Korda, has battled a back injury for most of the season. She even missed the U.S. Women’s Open two weeks ago, and had to withdraw from the Chevron Championship in April because of her back. But Vu overcame that ailment—and an eight-shot deficit on Sunday—to win the Meijer LPGA Classic in thrilling fashion.

Vu carded a 7-under 65 to climb up the leaderboard on Sunday, as she finished at 16-under-par, putting her in a tie with Lexi Thompson and Grace Kim after 72 holes. The trio needed three holes to determine the winner, but in the end, Vu made a birdie putt on the third playoff hole to seal the deal.

“I wasn’t thinking about winning,” Vu said.

“This was the one day I was playing really well. Felt really good with my swing. Coming back from an injury, I was a little up in the air, not knowing my swing, and I felt like I didn’t know where my arms were if I wasn’t tight. I was just trying to make contact today. That’s it.”

Like Vu, Thompson came from behind to get into the playoff. She fired a 4-under 68 on Sunday, while Kim, the 54-hole leader, carded a 1-over 73 on Sunday to fall back to the field.

After all three ladies made birdies on the first two extra holes, they walked over to the par-5 4th. After each player found the green in regulation, Thompson and Kim missed their putts to extend the playoff while Vu sank her birdie putt for the win.

“I think my mindset when it comes to putting is pretty simple: It goes in, or it doesn’t,” Vu said.

“I don’t put a lot of pressure on it. That relieves the pressure for me, and I go for it.”

Vu won her first LPGA win in Thailand in February 2023 from six shots back, so she has experience coming from behind.

“I felt like my first win I had blinders on,” Vu said.

“In the final round, I was focused on making birdies. I felt like that today. I felt like I left some out there, too. So once I got the opportunity for the playoff, I got to the box, and my caddie said, ‘There is nothing to lose now.’ We just went out there and played.”

Vu called this one of her most meaningful wins because she did not know if she could ever play golf pain-free again.

But clearly, she can.

Now, Vu has her fifth career LPGA victory as she eyes another major championship at next week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Hopefully, her back holds up for her at Sahalee.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.