Lilia Vu returns to Chevron Championship: The journey of recovery after a seemingly career-ending injury

Lilia Vu won the 2023 Chevron Championship. Photo: Getty Images.

Lilia Vu jumped into a lake to celebrate winning the 2023 Chevron Championship, her first major title in her career. It was a moment filled with joy, excitement and overwhelming happiness.

But a year later, things have changed. Right at the practice range at The Club at Carlton Woods ahead of the 2024 season, Vu was terrified to realize… she might never play golf again.

The back injury was so severe that she could barely swing a club, and was forced to withdraw from the tournament. From world No. 1, Vu gradually fell in the rankings, falling into a period of doubt and insecurity.

But after a year, Vu returned to Chevron, this time ranked fourth in the world. And most importantly, she was back to loving golf again.

“I couldn’t hit a shot over 40 yards,” Vu said of his preparation for the 2024 season. “I thought, ‘If I can’t do that, how am I going to play a full round?’ And then I stopped thinking about defending the title. I wasn’t even sure I could play a hole. That moment really made me stop and rethink everything.”

Having to retire from competition is certainly not easy. But thanks to that, Vu has time to look back and make changes, both in her career and personal life. At 27, she realized that she needed to slow down and take better care of herself. And of course, the biggest motivation is still to return to the field, to compete in the major tournament where she won.

Vu could not defend his title last year, and Nelly Korda - world number 1 - was crowned. But for Vu, being back to compete at Chevron this year is simply a victory.

“Last year I was really panicking. I just wanted to play golf again. I took two months off - the hardest time of my life, because I loved the feeling of competing so much," Vu shared. "Seeing my colleagues playing the US Open or other major tournaments, I just sat and watched. I came back to the KPMG tournament, but it was a journey of recovery - learning to listen to my body, learning to get back into the game. Now I feel much better."

With her back injury, Vu had to change a lot of her routine on the court. One of the things she did was to maintain good posture. She added to her team Dr. Jon Yamada, a “movement specialist” who was with her every step.

“He looked at me and said, ‘That shot was not in the right form,’ and it was actually the worst shot of the day,” Vu said, laughing. “He helped me keep my balance. At the end of the round, he reminded me, ‘You walked with the right form today.’”

"It sounds trivial, but it all starts from there. If I walk carelessly, my left back will hurt and lead to many other problems. This helps me relax my mind. I don't like to think about golf all the time when playing, just focusing on hitting the ball is enough," Vu shared.

Continue the unfinished dream

In 2025, Lilia Vu started the Honda LPGA Thailand with a tie for 69th, then finished T29 at HSBC. Back in the US, she played much better, only losing to Hyo Joo Kim in the Founders Cup playoff.

Vu has played four tournaments this season, and despite a cut at the JM Eagle LA Championship, she has shown that she is on the comeback trail. Her most recent win was at the Meijer LPGA Classic last June, shortly after returning from injury.

Vu’s caddie, Cole Pensanti, has been a constant source of support. She even attended his wedding earlier this year. And Vu still remembers the “wake-up call” Cole gave her during the final round of the 2023 Chevron, when she was frustrated by her lack of birdies.

“I kept complaining about how bad I was hitting the ball and not knowing where I was on the scoreboard. He said, ‘Everyone in the field is having a hard time. If you keep complaining, I’m not giving you the putter.’”

Vu smiled. Then she birdied holes 17 and 18 to reach a playoff and win. She quickly won her second major, the AIG Women's Open, and was named LPGA Golfer of the Year.

From injury, to loss, to victory, it was a long, thorny but admirable journey for Vu.

“The injury affected me a lot. I love golf, I love playing. And when you love something and you can’t do it, it feels like a part of you is taken away,” Vu said. “And when I came back, I wasn’t the same – I had less strength, so I had to compensate with other things like short game and putting.”

“Things are still not easy, but I'm continuing to overcome them," Vu emphasized.

Lilia Vu (born October 14, 1997) is a Vietnamese-American professional golfer who currently competes on the LPGA Tour. She began playing golf at a young age and won many titles in junior tournaments. Lilia turned professional in 2018 and has a total of 5 wins on the LPGA Tour. In 2023, she won 2 majors: Chevron Championship and AIG Women's Open, rose to the No. 1 ranking in the world and was named LPGA Golfer of the Year.

Trong Dat

Source: https://tienphong.vn/lilia-vu-tro-lai-chevron-championship-hanh-trinh-hoi-sinh-sau-chan-thuong-tuong-chung-ket-thuc-su-nghiep-post1736565.tpo