HONDA LPGA THAILAND

February 26, 2023

Lilia Vu

Siam Country Club Pattaya, Old Course

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome inside the media center here at the Honda LPGA Thailand 2023. Great event for you, Lilia. Champion this year; Rolex first-time winner. I know you were pretty close a few times last year. How good does it feel to get it done finally?

LILIA VU: Feels really good to get it done. I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself at the end of last year, and during the off-season I kind of just changed my mindset. Like I always knew I was going to win, I just got let it happen.

The more you hold onto something I feel like it gets further away. I came close a lot towards the end of the last season, so I was just going to have fun and play my game and it would eventually work itself out.

Q. The times you came close last year, what did you learn in these circumstances that you might have applied to today?

LILIA VU: I think a lot of scoreboard watching and like I can only control what I shoot, so why don't I go and try and play my best. Like I can't control what other people do, so I'm just going to try and play my best.

That's what I did today. Kind of didn't even know where I was at and just tried making birdies every hole.

Q. Had your family here. Obviously Cole been on the bag eight-ish months now. How much does it mean to get a win for him and your parents, who are both here?

LILIA VU: It means a lot. I mean, my parents were my number one supporters; they still are. They always believed in me, even when I was basically rock bottom almost about to quit golf a couple years ago.

They've always believed in me, and it feels really good to actually win with them watching me. They always knew I could do it, so feels really nice for them to be here with me.

Q. I know you came out here obviously in 2019. Had some big expectations. It wasn't what you were looking for, back to the Epson, and then graduated to the LPGA Tour again in 2021. What was so difficult for you in that period, and how good does it feel to finally come out on the other side with a victory?

LILIA VU: I think it was all a mindset change. I feel like technically my golf game got better, too, but it was all mindset.

I was in a really negative mindset, even my rookie year out here. I didn't feel like I belonged. Felt like every shot was life or death. I would look at the ball and set up and wouldn't know where I was going to go because I was so nervous.

Never felt like I belonged. And then I lost my card and then I was trying to finish out my year on Symetra that 2019 year. Later on at the start of the pandemic, before COVID hit, that was when my grandpa passed away. I remember we were in Florida at one of the Florida Symetra events and we were flying home.

I visited my grandpa before we even flew out and it seemed like he was doing really well. He was going to get release from the hospital. It was like the night before I left he told me in Vietnamese, go play well. Do your best.

And then we came back from the Florida event and then we got -- my mom got a call from my aunt, Candy, that grandpa was in the hospital again and was not conscious.

And then he ended up passing away when we like -- we all went to the hospital then but he passed away later that day, and it just really hit me that I was in a bad spot with my golf, and the last thing he ever said to me was, play well.

Like out of all the things, he's like struggling and he was thinking of me. I think that's what I think about every day, so...

Sorry.

Q. It's all good. It's an emotional thing. You talked about it on the golf course, you're a player that really just tries to go and make as many birdies as you can possibly make. You did that today. Obviously bogey-free. Made five in a row at one point, which I think you said you tend to blackout when these things happen.

LILIA VU: Yeah, I didn't realize that until you just said that. I knew I made some birdies, but didn't know it was five in a row.

Q. How do you keep your mind focused on what you're doing and away like try to focus on the process and not what the result are?

LILIA VU: I feel like recently I have been really good at playing one shot at a time. That's been my motto for the past two years. I feel like that's just how I play my best golf, and it's been working out.

So I just try to play one shot at a time and have fun. Sounds so cliche. I tell you this all the time, just go have fun, but that's really what I'm doing.

Q. How do you try to have fun? Do you pin seek a little bit more? I know some players say that's when they're going for pins.

LILIA VU: Yeah, I honestly like hitting at pins just trying to make every single -- could be a 60-footer and I'll still try and make it. For some reason I feel like I can make it.

Q. Speaking of that, played really well last week at Saudi Ladies International, and I know it wasn't the result you wanted at the end, but to get this victory this week, what does that tell about your resilience and grit to have heartbreak last week and then play really well this week?

LILIA VU: I tried not to really downplay how well I played last week because of one shot. I felt like I played really well. It was my first tournament of like the year, so I thought I did pretty well. I just knew I was good enough, and just go out there and have fun again every single week.

Q. Had some special visitors at scoring tent when things became official. A lot of players like you told me, from different parts of your life, your childhood and through college. What was that like to see all them and get a little water dumped on you? I'm sure it felt good.

LILIA VU: Honestly it felt so good to see Patty, my former teammate, Maria Fassi and Sophia and Alison. I feel like we've known each other for so many years. Like I can't even count how many years. It was so nice to see a familiar face coming and congratulate me. It was heartwarming.

Q. One of those people that as congratulating you was United States Solheim Cup captain, Stacy Lewis.

LILIA VU: Yeah.

Q. A lot closer now to that Solheim Cup team. What would it mean to finally get to that point in your career? I know that's what every little girl in America dreams of, growing up and playing on the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Now that you put yourself in really good position to be there in Spain, how are you feeling about that?

LILIA VU: Feel really good. I mean, Solheim Cup has always been a dream of mine. I have a picture of it on my wall, past winning team, just vision board, just stuff like that.

And I mean, it would be a great honor to represent the United States of America.

Q. I know Stacy has taken a lot of rookies under her wing. What does it mean to have somebody like her now and the relationship with somebody like Stacy Lewis?

LILIA VU: It feels so cool. The other day she gave me a book with nice note saying, good playing last week. The little stuff matters, so it was super nice of her.

Q. I know we're in Thailand, your first time over here. Obviously always hold a special place in your heart. Can you just articulate what you're feeling right now? You had eight Top 10s last year and you were within five of the lead a good handful of those eight Top 10s. To get it done finally, what was going through your head when that putt dropped and you knew you at least had a shot at it?

LILIA VU: It feels really good. This off-season right when I was -- before I was about to leave for Saudi, I basically almost had like a mental breakdown. Like I felt like we had all this time and I just didn't feel like my game was sharp enough.

And I was wrong, because obviously in Saudi I played really well. I think that gave me a confidence boost. Like, hey, you can go out there and score, and just do that. Just go out there and have fun and you'll be okay.

So...

Q. This sets you up really well for 2023. Obviously wanting to celebrate. Do you have any idea what you might do to celebrate tonight?

LILIA VU: Yeah. Mango sticky rice. (Indiscernible.)

THE MODERATOR: We love that. We love that. Congratulations. Really excited to see you become a Rolex first-winner, and looking forward to seeing you down the line.

LILIA VU: Thank you so much. (Applause.)