Lilia Vu wins first major at Chevron in playoff hole against Angel Yin
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Lilia Vu birdied the first playoff hole to win her first major at the Chevron Championship after fellow American Angel Yin hit her approach shot into the water on Sunday.
Yin’s second shot came up short and left and splashed into the pond guarding the par-5 18th hole, and Vu hit her approach just over the green. Vu went with putter from off the green and came up well short, but she converted from about 10 feet for the victory.
The 25-year-old Californian won for the second time on the LPGA Tour and took a celebratory leap into the pond, a tradition borrowed from this tournament’s former venue at Mission Hills in the California desert.
Vu birdied her last two holes for a 4-under 68 and a four-day total of 10-under 278 at Carlton Woods, then waited as other contenders — including Yin — faltered.
But Yin, after bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes, birdied the 18th to force the playoff.
Unable to find a sponsor willing to add to the half-century run at Mission Hills, the tournament — long known as the Dinah Shore for its longtime celebrity host — relocated to the woods of suburban Houston under a six-year deal with Chevron.
Vu took home $765,000 for the win from a purse of $5.1 million, the largest ever for this event.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda finished alone in third at 9 under. Atthaya Thitikul was at 10 under standing on the 18th fairway when she hit her third shot into the water. She made double bogey and finished in a tie for third at 8 under.
Riley, Hardy capture first PGA Tour wins at Zurich Classic
AVONDALE, La. — Nick Hardy and Davis Riley birdied four of their final six holes — highlighted by Riley’s 33foot birdie putt from the from the fringe on the par-3 17th — to give both players their first PGA Tour victory at the Zurich Classic on Sunday.
They began the final round three shots back and closed with a 7-under 65 in alternate-shot play to finish with a tournament-record total of 30-under 258 at TPC Louisiana, eclipsing the 259 posted by 2022 winners Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Hardy and Riley were two shots better than Canadians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor.
Each takes home $1.24 million and earns a two-year exemption for winning the PGA Tour’s only team event.
Hadwin and Taylor shot 63, tying the course record in alternate shot that was set in Friday’s second round by Cantlay and Schauffele.
Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler closed with a 1-under 71 to finish third, three shots back.
Cantlay and Schauffele tied for fourth with Matthew NeSmith and Taylor Moore at 26-under.