Lilia Vu clearly is one of the most successful and heralded athletes ever to come out of Fountain Valley High School. Vu, you might recall, was among the top prep golfers in California during her playing days at Fountain Valley. A 2015 graduate, she played varsity golf all four years at FVHS.
Lilia started playing golf when she was 7 years old. Her dad Douglas is the club pro at David L. Baker Golf Course in Fountain Valley.
“I just followed my dad and brother Andre around the golf course,” she said. “We saw other junior golfers around us entering tournaments, so I decided to do the same thing.”
She went on to have a highly successful collegiate career at UCLA.
Vu enrolled at UCLA in 2015 and was promptly named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016. In 2018, she was named Women’s Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year and Pac-12 Conference Golfer of the Year.
During her amateur career, she recorded several strong matches for the United States national team, winning the Curtis Cup and the Espirito Santo Trophy in 2018.
But in her rookie season on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour in 2019, Vu managed to make just $3,830 in nine tournaments.
Fast forward to 2024. Let’s not mince words: Vu, now 26 years old, is the current top-ranked player in the world.
“A lot has changed over the last three years,” she said. Her ascent to the top began in 2021 while she com-peted in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card. Vu picked up three victories and registered seven other top-10 finishes on the tour.
In 2022, while competing on the LPGA Tour, Vu missed the cut only once in 24 starts while finishing in the top 10 eight times.
Vu’s first tournament in 2023 was the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. She had a strong first round with a 6-under 66 but faltered on day two, finishing ties for 15th. She shot another 66 in the third round, putting her in a tie for fourth place. In the final round, she made eight birdies to finish the round at 8-under 64 to capture her first LPGA victory.
She went on to win two more LPGA major championships – the Chevron Championship in Texas and the AIG Women’s Open, also known as the British Women’s Open, in England at Walton Heath Golf Club. Those victories vaulted her into the No 1 position.
Lilia still lives in Fountain Valley and tries to get back in town during every off week, she said. “I’m home as often as I can,” she said. I did come home for Christmas and New Year’s.”
She has fond memories of going to the park in Fountain Valley and hanging out with friends at the city’s annual Summerfest at the Fountain Valley Sports Park. She stays connected to her school friends online as well. “I get to see what they’re doing,” she added.
Even though she has vaulted into LPGA stardom, she hasn't forgotten her local roots. She’ll always be a proud Lady Baron at heart.