Lilia Vu Bio
Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu, born on October 14, 1997, in Fountain Valley, California, is an American professional golfer who competes on the LPGA Tour. She has won eight professional titles, including two major championships at the 2023 Chevron Championship and the 2023 Women’s British Open. Vu was named the 2023 LPGA Tour Player of the Year and has represented the United States in two Solheim Cups, helping her team win the trophy in 2024. The daughter of first-generation Vietnamese immigrants, she played collegiate golf at UCLA before turning professional in 2019.
Early Life and Background
Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu was born and raised in Fountain Valley, California, to parents Douglas Vu and Kieu Thuy. Her family story is rooted in a remarkable journey from Vietnam. Her maternal grandfather, Dinh Du, lived with his family in Can Tho, Vietnam, and spent several years constructing a boat. In 1982, Du, his family, and a number of other Vietnamese residents set sail and left the country with 82 people on board. The boat developed a leak, and after releasing a flare, they were picked up by the USS Brewton of the United States Navy. The family eventually reached the United States and settled in California.
Vu began playing golf at the age of seven after watching her father and older brother at the driving range. Her father, Douglas, acted as her early coach, and her brother Andre later played golf for the University of California, Riverside. As a junior golfer, she won the 2013 AJGA Junior at Robinson Ranch and the 2014 KNC Champions Junior Classic, which earned her entry into the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she finished T46th. She also triumphed at the CIF-WSCGA Championship in 2014 and the SCGA Women’s Amateur in 2016, and placed second at the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 2017.
Path to Professional Golf
Vu enrolled at UCLA in 2015, where she quickly established herself as one of the top collegiate golfers in the country. She was awarded 2016 Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year, and in 2018, she earned WGCA Player of the Year, Pac-12 Conference Golfer of the Year, and was a finalist at the Honda Awards. A three-time WGCA First Team All-American and All-Pac 12 performer, she finished her UCLA career at the top of the all-time UCLA individual victories list with eight titles.
On the international amateur stage, Vu represented the United States at the 2018 Curtis Cup, earning four points as the Americans triumphed over Great Britain and Ireland. She also won the 2018 Espirito Santo Trophy in Ireland alongside Kristen Gillman and Jennifer Kupcho, and was a member of the team that won the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup in France. At the 2018 ANA Inspiration, she was the best-placed amateur, and she reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, holding that position for 31 weeks across 2018 and 2019. She turned professional in January 2019.
Lilia Vu Career
Early Career (2019-2021)
Vu turned professional in January 2019 and finished T27th at the inaugural LPGA Q-Series to earn status for the 2019 LPGA Tour, where she missed the cut in eight out of nine starts. She lost her tour card and joined the Symetra Tour, now known as the Epson Tour, for 2020. That year proved difficult, as she missed the cut at four of the seven events she entered and posted a highest finish of T29th. During this period, Vu almost gave up golf and considered going to law school, but was encouraged to continue in the sport by her mother.
In 2021, Vu found her footing, winning three titles on the Symetra Tour and rising into the top 250 of the Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time. She won the Garden City Charity Classic, the Twin Bridges Championship, and the Four Winds Invitational, while also securing the 2021 Potawatomi Cup. She finished the season first on the money list, earning Symetra Tour Player of the Year honors and reclaiming her LPGA Tour card for 2022.
LPGA Tour Breakthrough (2022-2023)
Vu recorded eight top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour in 2022, beginning with a tied eighth place at the JTBC Classic in March and a third place finish at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play in May. Her best major result that year came at the Women’s PGA Championship, where she finished T10th. Later top-10 finishes included T8th at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, T3rd at the AmazingCre Portland Classic, T3rd at the BMW Ladies Championship, and T10th at the Toto Japan Classic.
Ranked number 33 in the world, Vu secured her first LPGA Tour victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February 2023, beginning her final round six strokes behind the leader before shooting a 64 to claim a one-stroke win. In April 2023, she won her first major at the Chevron Championship, making birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to force a playoff, which she won on the first extra hole against Angel Yin. She credited her late grandfather for emotional support during the tournament. After struggling at her next several events, she captured her second major with a six-shot victory over Charley Hull at the 2023 Women’s British Open at Walton Heath, a win that moved her to number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. In August 2023, she became the first American to win the Rolex Annika Major Award since Michelle Wie West in 2014, and in November, she won The Annika for her fourth LPGA title of the year, earning LPGA Tour Player of the Year honors and $3,502,303 in prize money.
2024: Injury and Comeback
Illness and a back injury hampered Vu in the first half of 2024. She withdrew mid-tournament from both the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the Blue Bay LPGA, and withdrew from the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open. Returning in June at the Meijer LPGA Classic, she adjusted her swing routine to reduce pain and prevailed in a three-way playoff against Lexi Thompson and Grace Kim, having started her final round eight strokes behind Kim. She finished runner-up at the Women’s PGA Championship, T2nd and three shots behind Amy Yang, and was the defending champion at the Women’s British Open, where she three-putted from 15 feet on the final green to finish T2nd, two shots behind Lydia Ko.
Vu represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in August, finishing T36th. In September, she was part of the U.S. team that won back the Solheim Cup from Europe, securing the trophy with a 15.5 to 12.5 victory. Vu finished the event with a 1-2-1 record, earning her victory in the day one foursomes alongside Sarah Schmelzel and halving her singles match with Albane Valenzuela. Across the 2024 LPGA season, she made the cut at 16 of 18 events entered and earned $2,088,335 in prize money.
Notable Events and Milestones
Vu’s signature moments include her playoff win at the 2023 Chevron Championship and her six-shot victory at the 2023 Women’s British Open, which made her the first American to win the Rolex Annika Major Award since 2014. Her comeback win at the 2024 Meijer LPGA Classic, where she erased an eight-stroke final-round deficit, and her role in the U.S. team’s 2024 Solheim Cup victory stand out as career highlights. She also reached number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings in August 2023 and returned to the top spot later that year.
Lilia Vu Career Wins
Vu has won eight professional titles, with five victories on the LPGA Tour and three on the Symetra Tour, including two major championships. Her breakthrough came in 2023, when she won four LPGA titles and reached the top of the Women’s World Golf Rankings.
LPGA Tour Highlights
Vu’s first LPGA Tour victory came at the 2023 Honda LPGA Thailand in February, where she rallied from six strokes back with a final-round 64. Her most recent confirmed LPGA win was the 2024 Meijer LPGA Classic, won in a three-way playoff. She has recorded two playoff wins and two playoff losses on the LPGA Tour, and she has posted runner-up finishes at the 2023 Buick LPGA Shanghai, the 2024 Women’s PGA Championship, and the 2024 Women’s British Open.
Other Wins and Performances
On the Symetra Tour, Vu won three events in 2021, including the Garden City Charity Classic, the Twin Bridges Championship, and the Four Winds Invitational, and also captured the 2021 Potawatomi Cup. She finished that season first on the money list to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2022.
Lilia Vu Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Vu is the daughter of first-generation Vietnamese immigrants Douglas Vu and Kieu Thuy. Her maternal grandfather, Dinh Du, escaped Vietnam in 1982 aboard a boat he had spent years building, sailing with 82 people before being rescued by the USS Brewton of the United States Navy. The family eventually settled in California, where Vu was born and raised. Her older brother, Andre, played golf for the University of California, Riverside.
Personal Life
Vu continues to honor her family heritage and has spoken openly about her grandfather’s lasting influence on her career. She has credited her mother with encouraging her to continue playing golf during a difficult period in 2020. She is active on social media and represents several sponsors as a professional golfer.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been a challenging one for Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu. In March, she was defeated in a playoff by Kim Hyo-joo at the Ford Championship. She then missed her fifth consecutive cut of the year at the Evian Championship in July, and followed that by missing the cut at the Women’s British Open, marking her fourth missed cut at a major in 2025. These struggles have kept her outside the top of the rankings for most of the year.
In October, Vu was part of the United States team that finished runners-up to Australia at the 2025 International Crown. A further missed cut at The Annika meant she was unable to secure a place at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, having needed a high-placed finish to qualify. As the season closes, Vu will likely look to regroup and build toward a stronger 2026 campaign.