Category Archives: Major Campionships

2026 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St. Anne

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It’s the final golf major of the year for the women and for our viewing pleasure the championship is being hosted at Royal Lytham & St. Anne which is widely considered the second hardest course in the major rota; with the most difficult course being Carnoustie.

Here are some fun facts about Royal Lytham & St. Anne:

  • It has hosted 11 Opens; including the 1926 Open won by Bobby Jones securing Jones the grand slam of his era (winning the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, The British Amateur, and The Open in the same calendar year).
  • It has hosted 5 Women’s Opens. This year’s will be the sixth Women’s Open hosted.
  • It has hosted 2 Ryder Cups in 1961 and 1977; both won by the United States.
  • The last winner of the Women’s Open at Royal Lytham was Georgia Hall in 2018. She is just coming off maternity leave so I doubt her game is in form to content at Royal Lytham in 2026.

Here are some of the interesting course features:

  • It starts with a Par 3 and there are seven green side bunkers protecting the green.
  • It has 174 bunkers on the course; including 17 bunkers on the 18th hole.
  • The fairways are tight so the margins are fine for a good shot.
  • There is a railway track along the right side of the course; it’s stated that on the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th hole the railway is only 20 yards from the edge of the fairway.
  • Hole 8, left side bunker is reported to be 12 to 14 feet deep.
  • One interesting fact stated is that on hole 18, standing on the tee you can see all 17 bunkers but if you are standing on the back of the 18th green none of the bunkers are visible.

So yes, I will be watching to see if Nelly can win her third major this year; or if not Nelly perhaps Charley Hull can win her first major at home; but she has already stated that she’s not a big fan of links style. Many will be watching the Korean golfer, Haeran Ryu because she also has won two majors this year. But what I will be really interested in watching is how the golfers play the course because it really doesn’t favor long hitters; it’s all about strategy and staying out of the bunkers. And one final note, the wind is suppose to blow 25+ mph on Thursday afternoon so that always brings some drama to links golf.

Two fun groups to watch (if you want to get up early ):

(1) Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Haeran Ryu. at 3.42 EST

(2) Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson and Hanna Green at 8:26 EST

At the end of the post you will find times and channels for USA coverage.

Side Note: If you are a Charley Hull fan and like to watch YouTube golf; she has launched a new channel, called “Sweet Spot Golf” which is a tribute to her famous quote (click on link to see video from Pebble Beach) “Shy kids don’t get sweets.” Hull said this to her caddie on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach during the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open in 2023. Her ball was in the fairway but behind the tree and she wanted to go for the green in two for an eagle (vs laying up). The first video on her new channel is a practice round at Royal Lytham and St Anne. I watched the video and I’m guess it was filmed in the spring. It was fun to watch.

How to Watch:

Thursday, July 30: 4:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Golf Channel); 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (USA)

Friday, July 31: 4:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Golf Channel); 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (USA)

Saturday, August 1: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (USA); 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday, August 2: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (USA); 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (NBC)

Streaming: GolfChannel.com, Golf Channel App and the NBC Sports app

Evian Championship or Scottish Open

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Which golf championship are you going to watch this weekend; the Evian Championship or the Scottish Open?

I’m just going to be blunt. As an LPGA fan, the third major for the ladies, the Evian is the least important major for the LPGA. I doubt many general golf fans even known the Evian is the weekend because the Scottish Open is also this week with all the top PGA Tour golfers playing to get ready for The Open next week.

EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

This week the ladies head to France for the Evian Championship. It has always been clouded by the fact that it was added in 2000 (during the rein of Mike Whan as LPGA Commissioner) as the fifth major in the ladies professional game. I think it is “clouded” because of the debate of four vs five majors; but the unspoken thoughts are that by giving Evian the status of a major the door was closed on a women’s masters. I’m sure Mike Whan never thought Augusta National would have a women’s event and yet in 2019 the first Augusta National Women’s Amateur was held.

The 2026 Evian is July 9 through July 12 and the defending champion is Grace Kim. Of course, I believe, the golf news will be all about Nelly Korda and can she win a third major this calendar year; but for me the real story for Nelly will be can she win the next “important” major, the AIG Women’s Open which is being contested July 29 to August 2 at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in England.

But back to the Evian. The purse is $9.1 million with the champion taking home $1.365 million. I am sure Nelly Korda would love to win the Evian because she has not won this major yet. A few of the big names that have won in the past and are in the field this year include Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Celine Boutier. A fun fact is that the first winner in 2000 was Annika Sorenstam and she won $270,000.

An indication of the lack of status of this championship is that all coverage will be on the Golf Channel (no Sunday afternoon NBC or CBS prime time coverage). But still I will probably watch some of the coverage; especially if Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, or Brooke Henderson are in the lead.

The USA TV times (eastern time zone) on Golf Channel are: July 9 & 10 (Thursday & Friday): 6 am to 11 am and July 11 & 12 (Saturday & Sunday): 4 am to 10 am. You can also watch one additional hour on the Golf Channel App from 11 am to Noon on Thursday and Friday.

SCOTTISH OPEN

You might have thought I would write about the Scottish open first in this blog post but technically the LPGA event is a major for the tour and the Scottish open is not a major for the PGA tour.

As a quick reminder The Open is next week at Royal Birkdale (July 16 to 19). If you are a golf fan, you know Royal Birkdale is famously where Justin Rose, as an young amateur at 17 years old, tied 4th in The Open and became a household name in England. There is a great video on YouTube titled “Chasing Forever: Justin Rose” from the R&A that interviews Rose and others about that day and his career.

Back to this weeks Scottish Open. All the big names are playing. I believe Golf Channel reported 33 of the top 50 players in the world are playing. And Chirs Gotterup who won the John Deer last week is the defending champion at the Scottish Open.

The Scottish Open is always fun to watch because it is at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick. It’s a hard course and there always seems to be times when pros have trouble getting out of the bunkers; which makes regular golfers, like me, feel better about their game. Watch this fun YouTube video titled “Golf Is Hard” to see some of the previous tough shots for the pros.

I don’t have a particular favorite to win the Scottish Open. It will just be fun to see some great golf on a links course as a primer before next week when I will be obsessed with watching The Open at Royal Birkdale; and yes, I want Justin Rose to win his Claret Jug.

How to Watch: It will be on the golf channel on Thursday and Friday starting at 11 am (after the Evian coverage from 6 am to 11 am). If you have ESPN+ you can start watching as early as 3:15 am. On the weekends again, turn in early on ESPN+ or watch Golf Channel from 10 to Noon and then CBS coverage from noon to 3 pm.

One thing is for sure, given how hot it is right now, I think a lot of golfers will be watching golf from the lovely air conditioning of their homes.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship June 25 to June 28

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The third major for the ladies is this week at Hazeltine in Chaska Minnesota. It feels too soon for another women’s major; but the Solheim Cup is September 7-13 so I think the majors may all be earlier than previous years to accommodate the Solheim Cup.

Contenders: The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was last held at Hazeltine in 2019 and the winner was Australian, Hannah Green. It was her first major championship win. I like Hannah Green and it would make a great story for her to come back and win at Hazeltine again. Another Australian you can’t rule out is Minjee Lee, defending champion. Lee won her PGA championship at PGA Frisco in 2025. But we all know that the fans will be cheering for Nelly Korda to win her third major of the year. Korda came in third in 2019 so clearly can play well at Hazeltine.

Other than Nelly Korda who might lift the trophy on Sunday? Charley Hull is always on my list of contenders (although she missed the cut in 2019 but Hull’s world ranking in 2019 was 24th and today she is the #4 ranked player in the women’s game). Of course, you can’t rule out world #2, Jenno Thitikul. Lottie Woad is playing well. Woad missed a very short putt and lost in a playoff to Japan’s Miyu Yamashita last week so she may be motivated to redeem herself.

Money: KPMG announced the purse for the championship would be $13 Million which is the highest purse in women’s golf (exceeding the 2026 U.S. Open purse of $12.5 Million). And more interesting is that fact that when the championship was held in 2019 (at Halzeltine) the total purse was only $3.85 Million. It’s nice to see the women’s purses continue to grow.

How to Watch: Check your local listings for Golf Channel times (Thursday, Friday, and weekend) and NBC (weekend). Of note, the final round on Sunday will be on NBC from 1 to 4 pm est.

I’m looking forward to watching the ladies play in Minnesota on a very green, tree-lined traditional golf course.

SIDE NOTE: Hazeltine will host the 2029 Ryder Cup.

U.S Open a Father’s Day Tradition

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It’s the tradition that the leaders at the USGA will always protect – the final round of the U.S. Open falls on father’s day (in the USA). The overall theme is to honor the tradition of golf as a bonding experience between father’s and their children (or back in the old days, particularly their sons). It has created many moving moments on Sunday. For example, Justin Rose famously looking up to the sky as a tribute to his late father.

But really, for me it is all about the golf and who I am cheering for to win. And this year it is Scottie Scheffler. I’m not cheering for him just because I like him as a player, or that he is the #1 golfer in the world. I’m cheering for him because it would give Scottie his grand slam since the U.S. Open is the only major he has yet to win. Plus championship Sunday is Scheffler’s 30th birthday. A grand slam would be a pretty amazing gift.

Other players that I would not mind hoisting the trophy are Cameron Young (New York native grew up playing his golf at Sleep Hollow), Tommy Fleetwood, or Chris Gotterup (Jersey Boy). For those wondering which player might be a great bet and be primed to win look at Tommy Fleetwood. In 2018 Tommy Fleetwood had the lowest score on Sunday with a 7 under 63 and was one shot off the winning overall score. The winner in 2018 was Brooks Koepka with a score of 1 over par. I don’t see Koepka winning because on Sunday he withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open with a hand issue.

The Course and the USGA – Shinnecock has hosted the U.S. Open in 2004 and 2018 and both times the “course got away from” the USGA. Most fans will remember Phil Mickelson famously hitting his ball while it was still moving because he was so frustrated. This week the early coverage on Golf Channel they have shown that the greens are constantly being watered. The USGA clearly does not want to be embarrassed this year.

I hope that the U.S. Open at Shinnecock is more interesting than the PGA Championship was at Aronimink; which just seemed to be a putting contest on difficult greens. I understand the reasons golf courses remove trees including saving the turf from shade and humidity; or the club says they are “restoring the course” to its original design. But I miss the courses that are tree lined and make it much more interesting off the tee. Often times, I think why do the USA courses all want to now have a links look and feel? Now, I understand that Shinnecock (and long island in general) has always been big and open and the greens (with wind) the big defense; but overall I hope the USGA and PGA of America don’t always pick links style courses to present to golf fans in their future championships.

Let’s hope for an exciting week for the U.S. Open.

U.S. Women’s Open June 4 – June 7 at Riviera Country Club

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Another major golf championship and another week of “must watch golf television.”

REASONS TO WATCH

(1) The Course: Riviera Country Club in LA is an old school course and always a “test” for the men on the PGA Tour. It’s the first time a women’s major has been brought to this iconic course. The most famous hole is the 6th hole, par 3 with the bunker in the middle of the green. Fun fact, regular members are not allowed to chip over the bunker while on the green; but pros can chip during a championship (and that is because they can do it without taking a divot). The other hole that is discussed frequently is hole #10 where the player needs to decide which fairway to drive (the right or left side).

If you want to see every hole the USGA has a good YouTube Flyover video.

(2) The Players: For me, it’s about the best women golfers in the world wanting to win the oldest and most important major for women’s golf. Who do I want to see get lots of television coverage and win:

Nelly Korda – this is obvious as the #1 player in the world. But more interesting is that she has not played well in previous U.S. Women’s Open. Perhaps it’s been a mental issue – it means too much? Or just fatigue. Nelly has completely changed her routine to “rest and not play” LPGA events the week before big events. It’s seems to be working since she won the first major of the year, The Chevron. And, it’s also exciting to watch to see if she can win the first two majors of the year. She has been playing great – she has played 7 events, won three times (including a major) and placed second three times.

And I am a fan of Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson and Lauren Coughlin so I would be happy if any one of them won the championship; but I think it might be an up hill battle if Korda comes to Riviera in great form. If Nelly doesn’t win then I think Hannah Green or Lottie Woad might be a good bet.

(3) New Pro that just played in the NCAA D1 Women’s Championship: Megha Ganne (from Stanford) and the reigning 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. She is on a high with Stanford winning the Team NCAA D1 Championship just a few weeks ago. Ganne has an infectious personality and a solid game so hopefully she plays well and gets tv time.

(4) Amateurs to Watch: Kiara Romero (University of Oregon from the USA) is the #1 Female Amateur in the world. Romero shot a final round 5 under (67) in the last round of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills. What was truly remarkable was the fact that on Saturday she shot an 84 (so a 17 shot improvement). Farah O’Keefe (University of Texas from the USA) just won the NCAA D1 Individual title a few weeks ago. Maria Jose Marin (University of Arkansas from Columbia) is the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion. Asterisk Talley is a 17-year-old that took home co-low amateur at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. Aphrodite Deng (from Canada) is the 2025 U.S. Girls Junior Champion. There are many more I could list but these are the one’s I will keep an eye on for the low-amateur title.

Finally, it is “must watch television” because it is the most important major in women’s professional golf!

HOW TO WATCH

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: Watch on USA Network from 2 pm to 7 pm and then replay on NBCSN (or Steam on Peacock) 7 pm to 10 pm

SATURDAY (Moving Day): Watch on NBC from 5 pm to 7 pm and Peacock 7 pm to 10 pm

SUNDAY (Championship Round): Watch on NBC from 3 pm to 5 pm on NBCSN and 5 pm to 8 pm on NBC; or stream 3 pm to 8 pm on Peacock.

Reasons to Watch the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink

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Of all four majors the PGA Championship is the one that I do not get overly excited about to watch. I’m not saying I don’t want to watch it but it just doesn’t carry the same interest for me. I think if I surveyed most golf fans they would rank the majors as (1) The Masters, (2) U.S. Open, (3) The Open, and (4) PGA Championship. Well, maybe non-us golf fans would rank The Open ahead of the U.S. Open.

Since it is not one of my favorite events I was thinking what are the reasons to watch (besides the fact I just like to watch golf).

(1) Jordan Spieth – Every year the question arises can Jordan Spieth get hot and win. Spieth needs the PGA Championship to achieve his career grand slam. This year Spieth appears to be in better form. He has played in 12 events and made 11 cuts (missing the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open). He has had six top 25 finishes. But frankly he is no where near the form he needs to be a favorite to win the PGA Championship. But we can hope for a miracle and that “the Spieth of 2015” suddenly appears.

(2) The Top Dogs – If you assume one of the top three players in the world will win then the question is will it be Scottie, Rory, or Cam. And yes I think golf fans know that Cameron Young is number three in the world and popular enough to be known by his first name. I am betting on Scottie because I think he has something to prove with so many runner up finishes this year. Of course, I heard that Rory spend a week at Aronimink so perhaps that strategy will allow Rory to win. It was interesting how poorly he played at Quail Hollow (the week before the PGA Championship). The Golf analysts all had Rory winning Quail Hollow because he had won there four times; but he shot 5 over on Saturday and basically was not a factor.

If you had to bet and the choice was one of the “top three in the world rankings” or “the field.” What would you bet? I’ve heard smart betters would take “the field” but I would bet one of “the top three” to win. And, as I mentioned above, if I have to pick one guy – it’s Scottie.

(3) The Course – Aronimink is a classic Donald Ross design located in Pennsylvania. The PGA Championship was held at Aronimink in 1962 and won by Gary Player. Gil Hanse completed the restoration of the course to “bring it back to the original Donald Ross design.” Hole 11 is a featured hole with 20 bunkers. I saw a video interview in which Gil Hanse said the course went from 79 bunkers to 179 bunkers. Hanse also said the greens are the major defense for the course because many greens have sever slopes and/or spines. Viewing the Aronimink hold-by-hole previews on Golf Channel it is beautiful and it is always fun to see a championship on a course we don’t normally get to see as amateur golfers.

Hopefully as the championship plays out there will be compelling reasons to tune-in and watch. The PGA Championship website has all the information on broadcast stations and times.

Chevron Championship – 1st LPGA Major of 2026

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This week, April 23 to 26, is the first major for the LPGA at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston Texas. I’m always excited for any major in golf but I have to admit that I still wish this championship was in Mission Hills with Poppy’s Pond. However, when Chevron took over sponsorship, it became obvious the location would move to Texas. So let’s focus on 2026.

New Location for 2026

This is a new location for the championship in Texas. In the past three years, after the move from Mission Hills, the championship was at Carlton Woods in the Woodlands. If you watched the 2025 broadcast it was shocking how few fans were at the championship. The new location, Memorial park is closer to Houston and also hosts the PGA Tour event, Texas Children’s Houston Open; which was won by Gary Woodland this year. Clearly Chevron and the LPGA are hoping to increase fan engagement so that this event will actually feel like a major.

2026 Contenders

(1) #1 Player in the World: Jeeno Thitikul – It’s always an assumption that the number one player in the world will contend at the majors. That player is Jeeno Thitikul. She won the Honda LPGA Thailand in February but since then has a T31, T14, T50, T17 so not sure what her form is going into Chevron.

(2) #2 Player in the World : Nelly Korda – In 2024 Nelly Korda was the #1 player in the world and dominating the women’s game. Korda had seven LPGA victories; including winning the Chevron Championship.

In 2025 Korda lost her world #1 status and had zero wins in 19 events. It was well documented that Korda was dealing with a neck injury and took quite a bit of time off to recover.

Korda started off 2026 with a win at the first LPGA event and then took six weeks off (skipping the “asia swing” of the LPGA season). After her “break,” in the next three LPGA events, Korda finished second, second, and a tie for second. So I would say Korda with a win and three 2nd place finishes in four events is a nice start for her competitive eason.

Korda has taken the week before the first major off. Korda has made it very clear that she will play less events this year and not play more than four events in a row. Some in the press have criticized her for missing the “asia swing” of the tour but my opinion is she has a right to protect her body.

(3) Two Time WInners in 2026: Two players have won twice in 2026.

Hanna Green – Australia, Hanna Green, is having a great start to her 2026 season and won the JM Eagle LA Championship (the week before the Chevron). It was impressive because Green was six shots back and won in a playoff. Not only has she won two LPGA events but also has won twice on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this year.

Hyo Joo Kim – Hyo Joo Kim came out firing in 2026. She had back-to-back wins in February and it looked like she was going to have a “Korda 2024 year.” However the streak died quickly and she hasn’t been a big presence in recent events.

My Prediction:

There are a host of other players that are playing well including American Lauren Coughlin; and of course fan favorites like Charlie Hull and Lydia Ko. You cannot count out the young new LPGA stars like Lottie Woad of England or one of the IWIA sisters from Japan. Given that in 2025 the LPGA had 29 different winners (an LPGA record) and no truly dominant player; it’s hard to predict a winner for Chevron.

Yes, I said it is hard to pick a winner but what fun would it be not to try. I will go with Nelly Korda. First, I’m hoping her new plan to create a schedule that keeps her healthy works. Second, the fact she has won or come in 2nd in the four events she has played in this year can’t be ignored. It doesn’t appear that she is “rusty” after the breaks she takes from competitive golf. Of course, I have no idea what her form is and if we go off form, then you would have to say that Hanna Green has all the momentum to win the first major.

Of course, I picked Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters and said there was no way Rory would win back-to-back (in my defense, if I had known Rory spend the three weeks before the Masters playing Augusta National every week I may have had a different opinion). Bottom line, I would not bet money on my prediction. However, let’s hope I get the first major winner for the LPGA correct in 2026.

Chevron Championship – LPGA’s First Major of 2024

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Another week and another major – I love Spring!

It’s a good thing that the LPGA moved the first major of the year so there is no conflict with the Augusta National Women’s Amateur or The Masters. Most people over a certain age will remember the first major as the Dinah Shore or the Colgate Dinah Shore, then it became the ANA Inspiration (which was held in Palm Springs) but with the new sponsor came a new venue in Texas at The Club at Carlton Woods, the Woodlands, Houston.

Last year was the first year at the new location and Lilian Vu won in a playoff against Angel Yin. I don’t think Vu is likely to play well enough to defend her title because she has been dealing with back issues. Perhaps if Angel plays well she may have a chance but my money is on the LPGA’s number one player.

Yes, just as I picked the number one player in the world on the men’s side to win The Masters, I am picking the number one female player in the world, Nelly Korda to win the Chevron Championshiop. Korda, like Scheffler, has won multiple times on tour this season.

In fact, if she wins the Chevron that will be five (5) consecutive wins this season. The last player to win five in a row in the same season was Nancy Lopez back in 1975 in her rookie year. The only other LPGA player to win 5 consecutive tournaments is Annika Sorenstam but she did it in two seasons (end of one season and beginning of another season).

The other players I’ll be watching are:

(1) Lydia Ko – if she wins that will give her the final point she needs to be eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame. The most difficult Hall of Fame to get eligibility for based on a point system.

(2) Brooke Henderson – I always cheer for the Canadian star to win.

(3) Rose Zhang – came on tour out of Standford with a bang by winning her first professional tournament but hasn’t done much this season so maybe the first major will be the spark to get the 2nd win.

How to Watch the Chevron Championship

The Golf Channel will show the championship early (10 am – 2 pm and late 6 pm to 8 pm) on Thursday and Friday. And the weekend telecast will be on NBC from Noon to 6 pm.

Both Peacock and ESPN+ will offer steaming of the championship so if you have subscriptions there is an opportunity to see more of the event live.

Below are the dates, times, and options:

Thursday, April 18: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/Peacock)
Friday, April 19: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/Peacock)
Saturday, April 20: 2-3 p.m. ET (Peacock); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Sunday, April 21: 2-3 p.m. ET (Peacock); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Major Winners on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour – A Review of Their Play in All Majors in 2023

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We all can remember the winners of the majors but I was curious how a major winner plays in all the majors for a year. It doesn’t feel like we have had a dominant player in majors for a number of years. Will we see another like Tiger, Jack, Annika, or Inbee dominate their tour’s majors?

This year only one player won multiple majors, Lila Vu on the LPGA won the first (Chevron) and last (AIG Women’s Open) major of the 2023 for the ladies. So I was curious how did major winners fare in all majors in a given year.

Below are two charts showing the winners for each major and how they played the other majors.

After a player wins a major we often hear the golf analysts make statements about the golfer being the next “big thing” or will now win multiple majors but the charts shows how hard that is to do in the same year. Lilia Vu has added her name to a very special list. So who else is on the list of multiple major winners in a single year? Here are some recent (within 10 years) stats:

(1) On the PGA tour Jordan, Rory, and Brooks have won multiple majors in a year.

  • 2014, Rory McIlroy: British Open, PGA Championship
  • 2015, Jordan Spieth: Masters, U.S. Open
  • 2018, Brooks Koepka: U.S. Open, PGA Championship

(2) On the LPGA tour Inbee Park, Jin Young Ko and Lila Vu

  • 2013, Inbee Park: Kraft Nabisco Championship (now, Chevron), U.S. Women’s Open, LPGA Championship (Now LPGA/PGA Championship)
  • 2015, Inbee Park: LPGA/PGA Championship, Women’s British Open (Now AIG Women’s Open)
  • 2019, Jin Young Ko: ANA Championship (now Chevron), Evian Championship
  • 2023, Lilia Vu: Chevron and AIG Women’s Open

To see the lists of multiple winners (by year) go to Golfer Compendium which lists multiple major winners in a single year for LPGA since 1946 and multiple major winners in a single year since 1922 for the PGA tour.

Lilia Vu – a New World #1 on the LPGA

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Congratulations to Lilia Vu winning the AIG Women’s British Open by six strokes! An even more impressive feat given she was six back of the leader when she started her round on the weekend. Vu is now a two-time major champion in a single year and the new #1 player in women’s golf. Another way to think of it, Vu has three wins in eight months and two of those wins are majors.

I doubt many had Vu on their radar to win the last major of the season given she has played spotty since her win at Chevron in April but her record on the Epson tour and her top 10s in 2022 on the LPGA tour were clear indicators of her talent.

If you don’t know much about Vu, she is 25 years old, is American (born in California) but her family comes from Vietnam (Grandfather moved family to USA in 1982). She played her college golf at UCLA and was on the winning Curtis Cup team in 2018. She graduated in 2019 and started her rookie year on the LPGA. Her rookie year was a disaster with 7 missed cuts out of 8 tournaments; only making $3,830. She almost quit but her mother encouraged her to stay the course and so she went to the Epson tour in 2020 where her journey to outstanding golf started to take shape.

Lilia Vu was a standout on the Epson tour (feeder tour for LPGA) in 2021 with four wins and 10 top 10 finishes; then transitioned to the LPGA tour in 2022 and she recorded eight top ten finishes.

Vu appeared to be on the way to great things when she won the first major of the year, The Chevron. However, after Vu’s win at Chevron, she missed the cut at the next two majors (The KPMG PGA Championship and the US Women’s Open) and had a T42 at the Evian.

During various press conferences, when asked about her game, She mentioned she was struggling with some back issues; and she also was learning how to juggle demands after winning a major because so much more is expected of winners with the sponsors, etc. For instance, before her win at Chevron she didn’t even have an agent. Now she has an agent to deal with all the requests of her time outside the ropes.

Prior to the win at the AIG Women’s Open, Vu’s world golf rank was 6 (Race to CME rank 7). Vu is now ranked the #1 player in the world (Race to CME rank 1). This season on the LPGA, Vu has 4 top 10 finishes and 3 wins (including two majors). That’s a very impressive 2023.

While being interviewed after winning the AIG Women’s Open Vu said she had felt (at times) like her first two wins in 2023 were a fluke. When asked if she believed in herself after winning the AIG Women’s Open, she said “Yes. And she mentioned that “the only thing that get’s in her way of winning is herself.” The players on the LPGA should watch out for a Vu who now believes in herself.

She is a talented golfer and deserving of her wins. You can read all about Vu on the LPGA website Player Profile