01하와이서 반등 노리는 릴리아 부, 최종 라운드서 봄의 영광 재현할까
릴리아 부가 미국여자프로골프(LPGA) 투어 하와이 대회 최종 라운드에 들어서며 올 봄 이후 개인 최고 성적 달성을 눈앞에 두고 있다.
이번 하와이 무대에서 호조를 이어간 릴리아 부는 마지막 라운드를 앞두고 상위권 경쟁에 합류하며 분위기 반전의 발판을 마련했다.
지난 봄 이후 LPGA 투어에서 다소 주춤했던 릴리아 부가 이번 대회 최종일 경기에서 만족스러운 결과를 거두며 상승세를 되찾을 수 있을지 주목된다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Lilia Vu of the United States putts on the 10th green during the first round of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei 2026 at Hoakalei Country Club on October 01, 2026 in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
Adam Stanley is an award-winning golf journalist. He is the golf reporter for Sportsnet, Canada’s No.1 sports media brand, as well as a frequent contributor to the LPGA’s digital coverage, PGATOUR.com, and The Globe and Mail.
There’s no need to overcomplicate things – it’s been a tough 2026 for Lilia Vu. And she’ll be the first to admit as such.
But, with golf, there’s always a good round – or a good finish – around the corner. It’s a fickle game.
For Vu, a multi-time major champion, she’s as pleased as she’s been all season long in her effort through 54 holes at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. Vu fired a third-round 66 and is looking for her first top-10 since the DOW Championship earlier this summer.
In fact, Vu hadn’t made a cut in an individual LPGA Tour event since the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, missing her last nine in a row.
“I would say it's been a really difficult year,” Vu said Saturday from Hawaii. “I think just been struggling with post-injury and trying to trust my body again and trusting my golf swing. I think I've made a really big turn over the last couple weeks. I don't know what it is, but I think it was partially swing technique that's like helping with me trusting my body and I'm hitting it a tad bit further, which to me has been like my Kryptonite.
“For the past two years I've been searching for something. Then I don't know, it's all clicking now and I'm able to not think so much about my swing and just play golf, because like I'm like looking back at what I did today and didn't seem like I was thinking about much.”
Vu – who shot 67 on Friday to find the weekend – made three birdies on her front nine and added three more on her back nine, including a nifty up-and-down on the par-5 18th. Vu finished well before the leaders in the third round but will certainly find herself in the mix for Sunday’s finale.
“I gave myself a lot of opportunities and converted on them. I was putting better today, so I think that's what helped me,” Vu said about the secret to her Saturday success.
Vu’s injuries have been well documented over the last two seasons, where back troubles even had her fearing that her career may be over. Alas, Vu has continued to grind and has made her return to action – this week marks her 21st tournament of 2026. She also headed to the Solheim Cup to act as an alternate for Angela Stanford’s U.S. team. She didn’t end up having a chance to tee it up but was with the group for most of the week before heading back to America.
It was an odd week but still an exciting one for Vu whilst her countrywomen competed in the Netherlands. But now it’s back to business, and Vu said she understands her swing and her game better these days. Vu’s last win on the LPGA Tour came in 2024 at the Meijer LPGA Classic – just a year removed from her four-win season in 2023, including two majors and ascending to No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings.
Vu may not win this particular week, but she’s been pleased with her scores so far – and how she’s doing it. She’s going to try, for one more day, to keep her head down and keep giving herself birdie opportunities and hopefully, finally, record a good result as the 2026 season inches towards its conclusion.
“I feel like I have come to peace with my swing and my game and just knowing that I have put in the work and just going out there and playing. Because I feel like that’s been the missing piece,” Vu said. “Like I would go and play tournaments and hope that it would turn out OK rather than knowing that I can put in the work, trusting it, playing golf, and having fun on the golf course again.”