Lilia Fu won the 2023 Women’s British Open Grand Slam 2023
Former UCLA All-American Lilia Fu won the Women’s British Open for her second major title in 2023, taking any potential drama out of the final round by shooting a five-under-par 67 to win by six strokes on Sunday.
The 25-year-old from Fountain Valley also won the Chevron Championship in April, becoming the first player to win two major tournaments in the same year since Jin Young-koo in 2019, and the first American woman since Julie Inkster in 1999.
The American has won three of the five women’s majors this year – Alison Corpuz won the US Women’s Open title in Pebble Beach – not since 2014.
Fu started the final round tied for the lead with Charlie Hull, with 11 batters on five of them. After 10 holes, Fu led by five as all her rivals faltered and the American stayed out of trouble at Walton Heath.
Hull holed out from a green bunker for an eagle’s 11th five-out to narrow the lead by three shots, but Vu responded with a birdie in the 12th and was never threatened.
Fu walked to No. 18 with five out and was already smiling before her long, squishy putt fell into the cup. She is soon doused in champagne by her fellow players.
Vu, a graduate of Fountain Valley High and a three-year star at UCLA from 2015-18, finished 14-under at 274 for the tournament.
“It’s just about not thinking about winning, just playing one shot at a time,” Fu said. “This golf course forces you to do it. It really tests you. That was my only goal. To drive well and give myself chances to the birdies.”
Hull, eagerly propped up on a course near where she grew up, shot a 73 and finished second for the second time in the last three courses.
“She played really great,” Hull said of the hero.
The win completed an amazing breakout season for Vu, who claimed her three LPGA Tour titles in 2023 – two of them majors. On Monday, she will be the world number one for the first time.
Since winning her first LPGA event in Thailand and then a playoff at Chevron, she has missed four of her six stroke play events, with the highest finish being a tie for 35th. Her problem, she said, was dealing with a change in expectations as a champion Major but she handled the pressure admirably on Sunday.
“How did I feel after that,” she said, “I honestly thought those two wins were a fluke.”
Her only bogey came in the 15th when she drove into Heather – the biggest hazard at this course southwest London – for the only time on the Tour and then found a bunker with her third shot.
Hull could not keep pressing, bogey-pressing the 15th and 17th – the latter after a protester walked onto the green and opened a can full of purple spray. There was no interruption in play as the pretender was escorted away.
What promised to be an exciting final round, given the state of the leaderboards at the end of Saturday’s play, turned into a procession.
Top-ranked Nelly Korda started five off the leaderboards, bogeyed the second hole, and ended up shooting a 74 to finish 12 strokes back.
Linn Grant, the highly rated Swede, faded with No. 76 and was tied with Korda for eleventh.
Former two-time winner Jiayi Shen shot 70 and was alone in third place, one stroke behind Hull.
Megan Scoville wins the US Women’s Amateur title
Megan Scoville won the American Women’s Amateur at Bel Air Country Club, defeating Latana Stone 4&3 in the 36-hole final.
The 22-year-old Scoville, from Monticello, Florida, is a graduate student entering her fifth season at Auburn University.
“It’s a dream come true for sure, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was still in shock,” Scoville said. “I feel like it just hasn’t started yet. Latanna played a great game. It was really fun to be able to walk the fairways with her. And I felt like we played really strong golf. I can’t put into words the feelings I have and it’s such an honor to be able to Saying that I won this year.”
The 21-year-old Stone, from Riverview, Florida, is also a graduate student entering her fifth year at LSU.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Stone said. “I’m really excited to be back and spend time with my teammates and the coaches. I think we’re going to have a great year this year.”
Schofill led 3-up after the first 18 holes, winning with a record of 15-17. After Stone hit the fourth with a 24 with a birdie, Scoville had a fourth with a 25 and five tied for 26 with birdies for a four-way advantage.
They halved the next five holes with Pars, Stone winning the 32nd putt five putt and the match finished in the 44th when Stone bowled out with a five-foot putt.
This story originally appeared Los Angeles Times.
