Lilia Vu

Lilia Vu Bio

Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu is an American professional golfer and LPGA Tour player born on October 14, 1997, in Fountain Valley, California. She has claimed eight professional titles, including two major championships, the 2023 Chevron Championship and the 2023 Women’s British Open. As a notable athlete, Vu became the 2023 LPGA Player of the Year and has represented the United States in two Solheim Cups, achieving victory in 2024. With a strong collegiate background at UCLA, Vu has made a significant impact in the golfing world since turning professional in 2019.

Standing 5 feet 5 inches tall, Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu has risen from a junior standout in Southern California to one of the most decorated American players of her era. Her career includes a stretch in 2023 during which she reached the top of the Women’s World Golf Rankings and earned more than $3,500,000 in prize money on the LPGA Tour alone.

Early Life and Background

Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu was born on October 14, 1997, and was raised in Fountain Valley, California. She is the daughter of first-generation Vietnamese immigrants and began playing golf at age seven after watching her father and older brother at the driving range. Her father acted as her coach throughout her early years, while her brother Andre later played golf for the University of California, Riverside.

Vu’s maternal grandfather, Dinh Du, had lived with his family in Can Tho, Vietnam. In search of a better life, he 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, where the next generation, including Lilia, would grow up.

As a junior golfer, Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu 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 tied-46th. She was also victorious at the CIF-WSCGA Championship in 2014 and the SCGA Women’s Amateur in 2016, before placing second at the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 2017.

Path to Professional Golf

Vu enrolled at UCLA in 2015 and quickly emerged as one of the top college players in the country. She was awarded the 2016 Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year and later earned WGCA Player of the Year and Pac-12 Conference Golfer of the Year honors in 2018, along with a finalist nod at the Honda Awards. As a Bruin, she was a three-time WGCA First Team All-American and All-Pac 12 performer, finishing top of the all-time UCLA career victory list with eight individual titles.

At the 2018 Curtis Cup, Vu earned four points as the United States defeated Great Britain and Ireland, and she won the 2018 Espirito Santo Trophy in Ireland alongside Kristen Gillman and Jennifer Kupcho. She was also a member of the winning 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup team in France. Vu played in the U.S. Women’s Open and the ANA Inspiration as an amateur, and at the 2018 ANA Inspiration she was the best-placed amateur in the field. She was ranked number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for a total of 31 weeks across 2018 and 2019, a streak that ended when she turned professional in January 2019.

Lilia Vu Career

Early Career (2019–2021)

Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu turned professional in January 2019 and finished tied-27th at the inaugural LPGA Q-Series, earning entry to the 2019 LPGA Tour. She struggled in her rookie season, missing the cut in eight of nine starts, and lost her tour card. She subsequently joined the Symetra Tour, now known as the Epson Tour, for 2020, where she also struggled and missed the cut at four of seven events. During this period, Vu almost gave up golf and considered going to law school, but she was encouraged to continue by her mother.

Her career turned around in 2021 on the Symetra Tour, when Vu won three titles and rose into the top 250 of the Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time. In addition to capturing the Garden City Charity Classic, the Twin Bridges Championship, and the Four Winds Invitational, she secured the 2021 Potawatomi Cup. She finished the season first on the money list, earning Symetra Tour Player of the Year honors and regaining her LPGA Tour card for 2022.

LPGA Tour Breakthrough (2022–2023)

Vu recorded eight top-10 finishes on the 2022 LPGA Tour, beginning with a tied-8th at the JTBC Classic in March. She added a third-place finish at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play in May and made her then best result in a major at the Women’s PGA Championship in June, where she ended tied-10th. Later that season, she posted top-10 finishes at the AmazingCre Portland Classic, the BMW Ladies Championship, and the Toto Japan Classic.

Ranked number 33 in the world, Vu secured her first LPGA Tour victory in February 2023 at the Honda LPGA Thailand, closing with a final-round 64 to win by one stroke. She then captured her first major at the 2023 Chevron Championship in April, making birdies on the 17th and 18th holes of her final round before defeating Angel Yin in a playoff. After a brief adjustment period, she won her second major with a six-shot victory over Charley Hull at the 2023 Women’s British Open at Walton Heath, a triumph that moved her to number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.

In August 2023, Vu received the Rolex Annika Major Award as the player with the best combined record at the year’s five majors, becoming the first American to win the award since Michelle Wie West in 2014. She made her Solheim Cup debut for the United States in September at Finca Cortesin in Andalusia, Spain, where the contest ended in a 14-14 tie with Europe retaining the trophy. Vu closed her season with a fourth LPGA victory at The Annika in November, was awarded LPGA Tour Player of the Year, and finished the year ranked number one in the world.

Comeback Era (2024–Present)

A back injury hampered Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu in the first half of 2024, forcing her to withdraw mid-tournament from the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the Blue Bay LPGA, and to skip the Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. She returned in June at the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she prevailed in a three-way playoff against Lexi Thompson and Grace Kim to win her first LPGA title of the year. At the Women’s PGA Championship, she finished tied-2nd, three shots behind Amy Yang, and at the Women’s British Open she ended tied-2nd after a three-putt on the final green, two shots behind Lydia Ko.

Vu represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in August, finishing tied-36th, and in September she was part of the U.S. team that won back the Solheim Cup from Europe with a 15.5-12.5 victory. Across the 2024 LPGA season, she made the cut at 16 of 18 events and earned more than $2,000,000 in prize money.

In 2025, Vu finished second at the Ford Championship in March after losing a playoff to Kim Hyo-joo, and later struggled at major championships, missing the cut at the Evian Championship and the Women’s British Open. She was part of the U.S. team that finished runners-up to Australia at the 2025 International Crown in October. By the end of 2025, she had dropped to 48th in the world rankings, having been ranked fifth a year earlier.

Notable Events and Milestones

Among Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu’s signature moments is her 2023 Chevron Championship playoff win over Angel Yin, a victory she credited to the memory of her late grandfather. Her six-shot triumph at the 2023 Women’s British Open at Walton Heath established her as the world’s top-ranked player, while her 2024 playoff win at the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she started the final round eight strokes behind, demonstrated her resilience through injury.

Lilia Vu Career Wins

Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu has compiled eight professional titles across the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour, and the Epson Tour, including two major championships.

LPGA Tour Highlights

Vu has won five times on the LPGA Tour, with one of those titles co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour. Her first LPGA victory came at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February 2023, and her most recent LPGA win came at the Meijer LPGA Classic in 2024. Her 2023 season produced four of her five LPGA titles, a year capped by the Rolex Annika Major Award and LPGA Tour Player of the Year honors.

Other Wins and Performances

Vu claimed three professional titles on the Symetra Tour in 2021, including the Garden City Charity Classic, the Twin Bridges Championship, the Four Winds Invitational, and the Potawatomi Cup. She finished the 2021 Symetra season first on the money list, winning Symetra Tour Player of the Year honors and regaining her LPGA Tour card for 2022.

Lilia Vu Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu’s family story is rooted in her parents’ journey as first-generation Vietnamese immigrants to the United States. Her maternal grandfather, Dinh Du, fled Vietnam in 1982 with his family and 82 fellow Vietnamese residents on a self-built boat that was later rescued by the USS Brewton of the United States Navy. The family eventually settled in California, where Vu grew up and first picked up a golf club.

Personal Life

Vu began playing golf at age seven after watching her father and older brother at the driving range, and her father served as her early coach. Her brother Andre later played golf for the University of California, Riverside. During a difficult stretch early in her professional career, Vu considered leaving golf to attend law school before being encouraged to continue by her mother.

2025 Season Performance

The 2025 season was a challenging one for Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu. After a runner-up finish at the Ford Championship in March, where she lost a playoff to Kim Hyo-joo, she endured a string of missed cuts, including a fifth consecutive missed cut at the Evian Championship in July and a missed cut at the Women’s British Open, her fourth missed cut at a major in 2025.

She was part of the United States team that finished runners-up to Australia at the 2025 International Crown in October. A further missed cut at The Annika prevented her from qualifying for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, where she had needed a high-placed finish to secure entry.

Vu closed 2025 ranked 48th in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, a steep drop from her position of fifth one year earlier. Despite the downturn, her earlier career highlights, including two major championships and the 2023 LPGA Player of the Year title, keep her among the most accomplished American players of her generation.