Chevron Championship: Lilia Wu passes on the memory of the late grandfather to win the first major title



CNN

Lily Wu won Chevron Championship on Sunday, defeating American compatriot Angel Yin in the playoffs to secure the top main of his career in the Woodlands, Texas.

Wu started the final round four throws behind co-leader Ying, but rallied with five birdies, including two close ones, to tie the world rankings. 172 at 10-under and force the playoffs. During the first replay on the 18th hole, the 25-year-old hit the ball with a birdie shot and won after Yin’s second shot hit the water.

Soon after, it was Wu’s turn to find water. Jump into Poppy Pond long tradition for champions at Mission Hills in California, hosting the major from its inception until its move to Carlton Woods in 2023.

Wu wasted no time in resuming the ritual by diving into the lake near 18th to mark her second LPGA Tour victory and the $765,000 winner’s check, the largest of her career. Nearly retired from the sport after struggling early as a pro, this culminated in a cathartic win for the world No. 1. 12.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Wu told reporters.

“All the bad things, everything I’ve ever struggled through, in the family, inside, I consider myself the biggest obstacle, I’ve had a pretty tough, tough last two days.

“I was definitely my own enemy and I don’t know how I got it out. I’m just really happy and proud of Cole [caddie] and I’m for it.”

Wu (right) celebrates his victory in the water.

Despite a brilliant amateur career, Wu has endured a grueling start on the LPGA Tour, winning just once in her first nine starts since turning pro in early 2019.

She will not compete in other LPGA events until 2022, by which point she has lost an important figure in her life. Wu’s grandfather, who fled his native Vietnam with her mother, died in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amid the seething disappointments during the wet and windy final round, it was the memory of her grandfather that kept Wu grounded.

Woo putts on the 18th green.

“I was just in such a bad place with my golfing. Everything was on the verge of life or death,” Wu said. “I just saw everyone I competed with succeed and I was comparing myself all the time.

“But now I know that everyone’s path is different and everything happens for a reason… Even today I got really frustrated on the track and I just had to remind myself, like, ‘Grandpa is with you and he ‘I would very disappointed if you were so upset and did not pull yourself together.

“I think he would say that all my efforts were worth it,” she added.

After winning, Wu is splashed with champagne.

Runner-up Yin was optimistic despite painfully missing her first major career. The 24-year-old 2019 US Open runner-up looked poised to win before back-to-back shots on the 16th and 17th holes opened the door for Wu.

A pressure bird on the last hole, meant to force a playoff, signaled a strong reaction, but Yin’s backhand was eventually sunk by her subsequent shot into the water.

“This week, I wasn’t nervous at all, even when this stretch came,” Yin told reporters.

“My caddy asked me to calm down, but other than that, I really didn’t feel much. I’m just very soft. That’s why it’s a lack of emotion and I don’t cry.

“I’m just really happy with who I am, where I am and what I’m doing right now… If I could talk about how much I appreciate life right now, I’d be empathetic, not because of it,” she added . .

Yin hits from the third tee during the final round.

World number 2 Nelly Korda finished third short of the play-offs, while Thailand’s Attaya Titikul led a group of five players into fourth place, eight under par.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Cupcho made a grim attempt protect his title by shooting six over par to miss the cut and finish in 108th place.

The main women’s golf calendar continues with the US Open at Pebble Beach in California on June 6th.