Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
American Lilia Vu took all of the drama out of the final round Sunday at the AIG Women’s Open, crushing the field.
Lilia Vu has won her second major championship of 2023, capturing the 2023 AIG Women’s Open in Surrey, England. She previously won the Chevron Championship back in April. She required a playoff against Angel Yin to take home that title. But this time it was much easier on Sunday.
Vu decimated the field, finishing at 14-under par and winning by six shots over Englishwoman Charley Hull.
In doing so, she became the first American female golfer to win two majors in the same season since Julie Inkster in 1999. The last woman from anywhere to accomplish that feat was four years ago when Jin Young Ko did it.
Vu posted back-to-back 5-under 67s to pull away from the field.
Afterward, she fought back tears while thanking the crowd.
“I will remember this moment for the rest of my life,” said Vu.
Entering the final round, it was a bunched leaderboard with a number of golfers in the hunt. But the 25-year-old from Fountain Valley, CA played fantastic golf and left no doubt.
She was steady to begin her round, but the turn is where she separated herself. Vu birdied the 9, 10 and 12, moving her to -13 for the tournament. Incredibly, she came within inches of a hole in one on the par-4 10th.
She never looked back from there, cruising to victory.
It is the UCLA graduates second major win of her career, and sixth as a professional overall.
Meanwhile, some of the bigger stars on tour struggled all week. Rose Zhang, the 20-year-old phenom, finished 4-over, tied for 44th. It was the first time in her fourth major of her career that she did not finish inside the top 10.
However, world No. 1 Nelly Korda put forth a strong showing, finishing T11 at 2-under par.
