As the defending champion of the AIG Women’s Open, Lilia Vu is ready to compete at the Home of Golf. A victory this August would give Vu another comparison to Tiger Woods, who won The Open Championship twice at St Andrews, in 2000 and 2005.
Both Vu and Woods are natives of California and began their amateur golf careers in the state. Woods was the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur (1991-1993) champion and was named Southern California Amateur Player of the Year in 1991, 27 years before Vu became the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world in 2018. Vu was also a two-time American Junior Golf Association All-American.
Winning eight times at UCLA, as well as claiming both Freshman of the Year and Women’s Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year honors, Vu was the 2018 Pac-12 Conference Golfer of the Year. Woods played two years at Stanford University and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year both of those years. With eight college wins in 26 tournaments, Woods had an overall scoring average of 70.96 for his college career. Vu also earned eight individual titles while at UCLA, earning five additional top 10s and posting an overall scoring average of 71.70.
Woods left Stanford University to join the PGA Tour at the age of 20, and after turning professional in 1996, a 21-year-old Woods earned his first major title at The Masters. Vu first earned LPGA Tour membership at the 2018 LPGA Qualifying Series, and after a disappointing first year on the LPGA Tour in 2019, Vu joined the Epson Tour the next season. She won three titles and captured the Epson Tour Player of the Year award in 2021, ultimately earning her way back to the LPGA Tour in 2022. She then went on to win her first major at the 2023 Chevron Championship at age 25.
Woods was selected for his first of eight Ryder Cup appearances in 1997 at 21, while Vu qualified for her first Solheim Cup in 2023 at age 25. Woods was also named PGA Tour Player of the Year eleven times, with the first being in 1997. Similarly, Vu earned Rolex Player of the Year honors in 2023.
For Vu, her early career has been filled with numerous titles, as she has worked to follow in the footsteps of Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time. Unfortunately, though, both Vu and Woods have also dealt with physical problems during their golfing careers. Vu struggled with a back injury early in the 2024 season, returning to play after a two-month hiatus this past June.
Woods has battled back issues since 2014, having several procedures and back surgeries throughout his career. Post-surgery in 2014, Woods changed his foot position and made subtle adjustments to his swing to aid his back recovery. In a similar way, Vu changed her breathing during her swing as an adjustment post-rehabilitation following her time away from golf.
When Woods won each of his titles at St Andrews, he led the tournament both times after 36 holes and also held the outright 54-hole lead. Heading into this week’s major, Vu will gain inspiration from Woods’ past statistical successes at St Andrews as she works to make history as just the third female winner of the AIG Women’s Open at the storied venue.
| Scoring Statistics at St Andrews | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2005 | |
| Birdies | 22 | 21 |
| Greens in Regulation | NA | 54 of 72 (75%) |
| Putts per GIR | NA | 1.67 |
| Scoring Average | 67.25 | 68.50 |
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