Lilia Vu Claims First Major Title at the Chevron Championship 2023

Leaderboard

1. Lilia Vu
R1: 68 || R2: 69 || R3: 73 || R4: 68 || ToPar: -10

2. Angel Yin
R1: 69 || R2: 70 || R3: 67 || R4: 72 || ToPar: -10

3. Nelly Korda
R1: 68 || R2: 70 || R3: 70 || R4: 71 || ToPar: -9

Lilia Vu won her first major and her second event of 2023 after birdieing her first play-off hole.

On the emotions she experienced over the afternoon…
“Just nerves. I felt like today was a really hard day. The course was playing really difficult with the wind and the weather and it being colder. I just didn't feel great on the course. I was getting kind of moody, and my caddie Cole was there to basically ground me and remind me like hey, we're just going to try our best, and whatever happens happens. Just hit it on your line and then go from there and stop getting so upset over every little thing.”

On being the first person to jump in the pond at The Club at Carlton Woods…
“I think Cole and I kind of passed by on 18 during the practice round and kind of discussed would you jump, and I was like, yeah, I would jump. If I won here, of course I would jump.

Yesterday or the day before we saw a snake on 17 pond, so I was kind of thinking about that today, but I think the emotions were high and just adrenaline, got to jump into that pond.”

On having her parents with her this week…
“It means the world. I honestly want them everywhere whenever I play. It's nice that I'm able to take my parents with me.”

Runner up Angel Yin looking on the bright side…
“It’s just really positive for me. My goal at the end of the year is still to play in Solheim and also get into the U.S. Open, because I'm not in right now. I was hoping I could win so then I didn't have to qualify. But I guess I still have to qualify, unless things change. But I'm just really happy that I'm able to play golf, honestly. To be able to post scores like this, that to me is beyond anything that is happening right now.”

On how she emotions immediately after losing the play off…
“I feel like I felt when I started the round. Not much has changed really, other than I lost. There's that. But just happy with how I am playing. Throughout the week, I scored better but progressively started playing a little bit worse, and then today was just like -- the weather changed and everything, and just wasn't hitting it very good. Honestly, I held it together, and then 16 and 17 really just was like bad club decision, mind mindset on 16 off the tee, and then obviously in the playoff hole, I just didn't hit a good shot. It just kind of spoke a lot about today.”

Nelly Korda, projected to return to World No.1 on Monday on finishing in solo third…

“Yeah, every single time I can finish well at a major, put myself into contention, that's what I strive to do. A little sad that I didn't really have my best stuff today. My putter kind of let me down this week a little. Even though I made some really good putts, I also missed some putts that I usually don't.

Overall I have a lot to work on, but for it to be the first major of the year, I think I played pretty well, and hopefully I can build on it. This is my first week out of four, so hopefully I can continue building.”

Georgia Hall, after another top-15 finish and an impressive final round of 68, gave her thoughts on the course….

“When I first came here, to be honest, I wasn't sure, but then as I've played every day, it's really grown on me, and I think it's really, really good major championship golf course. I think it's really tough, and I've heard that they're going to improve the conditions for next year, and I think when they do that, it will just be one of the best courses we play on, and just really excited to be here for the next few year.”

Low amateur Eila Galitsky on her week, finishing T28 when asked if she enjoyed her week…

“How can I not? It's my first ever major championship, and I just love it so much. I hope to be back here one day.”

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APRIL 23, THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS – Chevron raised a total of $2,950,000 for benefiting partners in diversity, inclusion, education and the local community at the 52nd edition of The Chevron Championship which took place for the first time at new home The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.

The first LPGA major of the season took place this week in The Woodlands, where America’s Lilia Vu beat Angel Yin in a one-hole play-off to claim her maiden major title and make history as the championship’s first winner at new venue.

The Chevron Challenge on the 17th hole was designed by Chevron to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion from early education to careers. This initiative saw Chevron donate $10,000 for every birdie over the first three days, $100,000 per birdie on the final day and $1,000,000 for the first hole-in-one. There were 69 birdies on the 17th hole over the four championship days totalling $2,950,000. On the Saturday, three-time major winner In Gee Chun delivered the first hole-in-one on the 17th hole. Chun said, “Right after I pick up the ball, then I saw the screen. I saw the number was big change, so I talked to my caddie Dean: Dean, I think I helped a lot of people because I just saw the number go really big. The number changed a lot. Then my manager Justine came to me and then she explained, so then I got goosebumps.”

The money raised will be distributed amongst featured partners: National Society of Black Engineers, Techbridge Girls, Fab Foundation, KPMG Foundation, LPGA Foundation, Girls Golf of Greater Houston, Catalyst, Brothers in Arms, and the Women in Golf Foundation.

Josetta Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Chevron commented: “This has been an incredible week of welcoming The Chevron Championship to its new home here in Houston. Everyone has embraced the move with open arms, and we couldn’t be more thankful for the local community’s support. We are thrilled to be able to give back to our featured partners in diversity, inclusion and education through our championship initiatives and we look forward to building on this inspiring platform in years to come.”

In addition to The Chevron Challenge, the proceeds from the Merchandise Tent will be committed to increasing opportunities for girls and women in golf. Proceeds from The Dream Big Collection will be donated to Chevron’s LPGA Foundation initiatives to support women’s and girls’ golf and change the face of the game, and proceeds from The Trophy Collection will be used to carry-forward Dinah Shore’s legacy by funding the Chevron Dinah Shore Scholarships annually through the LPGA Foundation.

Throughout the week, Chevron hosted a variety of engaging activities off the course for the benefit of spectators, charities, and the local community. Hosted by past champion Amy Alcott, the Junior Legacy Pro-Am took place on the Wednesday and saw 16 local junior female golfers play alongside some of the greatest players in LPGA history. Brittany Lang finished top of the legends portion while 16-year-old Jasmine Do won the junior competition.

With the aim of inspiring the next generation of golfers, Chevron, in partnership with the LPGA Foundation, hosted two career panels aimed at local female high school students ages 14-17 and collegiate athletes from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to encourage them toward becoming the next generation of leaders in business in golf.

As part of their commitment to provide support to grassroot golf programs and make a difference in the local community, Chevron collaborated with the LPGA Foundation and Girls Golf, to host a special Girls Golf Clinic and behind the scenes tour sponsored by St Luke’s Health, which gave young girls from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to learn more about a major championship and learn the 5 E’s of Girls Golf (Enrich, Energize, Empower, Engage, Exercise).