Lilia Vu wins first title at Chevron Championship

Lilia Vu defeated Angel Yin on their first playoff hole to win her first major title on Sunday at the Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.
Replaying the par-5 18th hole at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, Yin’s second shot splashed into a water hazard in front of the green and she had to take a drop, eventually reaching the green in four.
Vu was over the green in two shots and chipped onto the putting surface, leaving her a putt of roughly 14 feet, longer than Yin had left for par. Vu’s right-to-left putt for the winning birdie dropped in the left corner of the cup.
“I knew on that last putt, all I had to do was just do my routine, read the putt how I usually do, and just hit this putt because I’ve hit that putt a million times and I knew I could make it,” Vu said.
Vu, a 25-year-old from California, claimed just her second career LPGA title after also winning the Honda LPGA Thailand this past February.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Vu said. “... I was definitely my own enemy, and I don’t know how I pulled this out.”
It marked the first time the major was played somewhere other than Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., where the winning golfers maintained a longstanding tradition of jumping into Poppie’s Pond to celebrate. Vu continued that tradition by leaping into the lake next to the 18th green.
“I think (caddie Cole Pensanti) 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,’” Vu said. “If I won here, of course I would jump.”
Vu fired a 4-under 68, tied for the lowest round of the day, to set the clubhouse lead at 10-under 278. She made five birdies, including at Nos. 17 and 18.
Yin, who was a 54-hole co-leader with Allisen Corpuz, was 11 under for the tournament through 15 holes but landed in sand bunkers at the par-4 16th and par-3 17th, bogeying each time.
Yin two-putted for birdie at No. 18 to finish off an even-par 72 to get back to 10 under and force a playoff with Vu.
Yin entered the week No. 172 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
“I think I’ve just come a long way,” she said. “I’m just really happy with who I am, where I am, and what I’m doing right now. Just a lot to appreciate.”
World No. 2 Nelly Korda sank a long eagle putt at her last hole to shoot a 71 and finish third at 9-under 279.
“Every single time I can finish well at a major, put myself into contention, that’s what I strive to do,” Korda said.
Corpuz shot a 74 and dropped into a tie for fourth at 8 under with Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul (71 on Sunday), Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela (73) and South Koreans A Lim Kim (72) and Amy Yang (73).
World No. 3 Jin Young Ko of South Korea shot a 68 and tied for ninth at 7 under with Megan Khang (74).

Nick Hardy, Davis Riley team up to win Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Nick Hardy and Davis Riley teamed up for a final-round, 7-under-par 65 to catapult in front of the pack and win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Sunday in Avondale, La.
Hardy and Riley started the day three shots off the pace but carded seven birdies - including five on the back nine - and no bogeys to set a tournament record of 30-under 258 for the week at TPC Louisiana.
That was enough for a two-shot win over Canadian teammates Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, who fired a 9-under 63 for the round of the day to get to 28 under.
It marks both Hardy’s and Riley’s first career PGA Tour wins.
“It was nerve-racking, honestly,” Riley said.
“Any time you’re trying to win a golf tournament, more or less to get your first win is always tough.”