Solheim Cup Team USA: Lilia Vu’s best and worst moments of her career

Lilia Vu is one of the best young golfers on the LPGA Tour. The 26-year-old attended the University of California, where she earned a degree in political science and played on the university golf team. Her father, Douglas Vu, got her start in golf and has been her coach since she began playing. She qualified for the LPGA Tour after winning the Arnold Palmer Cup in France in 2018 representing Team USA.

When this American pro turned professional in 2019, she thought she’d already achieved her dream. But little did she know, it was just the beginning. Lilia Vu missed the cut in eight of her first nine events, including a T72 finish at the Lotte Championship. That’s when she realized her journey was only just beginning.

Lilia Vu’s 3 worst performances

It has been five years since she began her journey into professional golf and there is no doubt that Lilia Vu has come a long way, experiencing the ups and downs of a professional golf career.

1. 2023 U.S. Women’s Open

At the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, Lilia Boo started her round with a score of 79, already a disappointing nine over par. She went into the second round of the women’s major hoping to improve, but the course did not work in her favor. Boo shot a 12-over 82 on Friday, the worst performance of her entire golf career. Not surprisingly, she settled for a total score of 17-over after two rounds, tying her with amateur Milagros Chaves. After Friday’s round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, both were in the group of players who had not qualified.

2. 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presents Acer

Lilia Vu missed the cut for the second consecutive time at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, but of course it was her debut year on the pro tour. Lexi Thompson, who won that year’s tournament, finished at 12 under par, but Lilia Vu was 24 strokes behind, far from the winner. She started Thursday’s round with a 10-over 80. She followed that round with a relatively better round on Friday, shooting a 4-over 74. But it still wasn’t enough. Lilia Vu missed the cut again in her opening season.

3. KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Lilia Boo missed the cut four times last season, despite winning four times. However, the missed cuts were her worst. After missing the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open, she missed the cut twice in a row at the 2023 KPMG Women’s Professional Golf Championship. Both results were her worst. The American professional shot 72 and 76 in the first two rounds for a total score of 148. The result was a disappointing 12 over par.

These may be the worst results of her career, but Lilia Vu has also had some record-breaking performances. With five LPGA Tour wins, she is ranked second in the Rolex Player Rankings behind Nelly Korda, and there’s no doubt why she is the second-best female golfer in the world.

Lilia Vu’s top two careers

The 26-year-old professional golfer had her worst year on the LPGA Tour as a rookie in 2019, but has her best year yet in 2023. She delivered outstanding performances last year, achieving all of her career best results.

1. CME Group Tour Championship

Lilia Vu took home a whopping $250,000 after four rounds at the CME Group Tour Championship. Although she didn’t win, finishing in fourth place, she arguably had her best performance of the tournament. Vu’s scores were 70-66-66-65. Her final score would have been better if she hadn’t had a par-1 round. Still, she won with a score of 21 under par, which remains the best score of her career.

2. Annika driven by Pelican’s Gainbridge

The Pelican, driven by Gainbridge, took place just before the tournament, where Lilia Vu delivered her best performance. It was her fourth and final victory of the 2023 season, and she also took home a whopping $488,000 and 500 CME points as the winner. Lilia Vu shot under par in all rounds (67-66-62-66) to win at 19 under par by three strokes, beating Azahara Munoz and Allison Lee, who were tied for second place.

Lilia Vu will be making her third appearance at the Solheim Cup later this month. She will be representing the Stars and Stripes, having automatically qualified based on her performance in 2024. Do you think Vu can deliver another stellar performance on the field? Let us know in the comments below!