CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 17, 2023

Lilia Vu

Tiburon Golf Club

Flash Interview

Q. All right, I'm here with Lilia Vu after her second round at the CME Group Tour Championship. Lilia, great round today. How would you describe this round differently than yesterday's round?

LILIA VU: I think today I had more focus. I think I just had a lot of things on my mind yesterday with so much going on. I think also I wasn't able to see the front nine because the Wednesday program was canceled.

I think I was just trying to find my way through the front nine yesterday and I didn't feel comfortable.

But it's okay. Today I felt more comfortable on the course. Gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdies. Ball striking was really good on the back nine.

Q. You mentioned having a lot going on. I know there a lot on the line this week: Rolex Player the Year; $2 million winner's check. How do you handle all that pressure? How are you feeling about that?

LILIA VU: I try not to think too much about that stuff. I think when I kind of stay to my one-track mind and try to win the tournament in front of me, then I tend to do pretty well.

Yeah, I'm not going to think about it too much. Just going to stay in my lane and shoot the best score I can shoot.

Q. How are you more -- you talked about being comfortable on the golf course -- how much more comfortable are you here now versus last year?

LILIA VU: Oh, way more. Last year I was all over the place. I put so much pressure on myself knowing it was the last tournament for a chance to win. I just didn't feel good with my game to begin with.

I feel like Florida courses are really hard for me, especially this one. Yeah, just trying to guide myself around this course. I feel definitely a lot better this year.

Q. Gaby was just in here talking about how her twin brothers helped her develop a competitive edge growing up. Where did you get yours?

LILIA VU: I have an older brother. He played for UC Riverside. Yeah, he kind of humbled me throughout my junior golf career, so definitely from him.

I'm more of like a quiet competitive person. I'm not loud about it.

Q. Did you guys have competitions against each other growing up?

LILIA VU: Always. Always like chipping contests. Can't do longest drive because I'm losing that one. Most of everything else.

Q. How much older is he?

LILIA VU: Two and a half years older, yes.

Q. Curious if you talked to any former No. 1s who have given you advice on being No. 1?

LILIA VU: Yeah, I've heard -- So Yeon Ryu is also a member at my home club. We did a panel for women's golf day and I remember her speaking about how it was hard to handle the pressure of being No. 1 in the world.

But I mean, she just said to enjoy it and not think too much about it, and that's something I've been trying to do, just try and enjoy it and do what I need to do.

Q. Have you been successful at that? Are you enjoying that responsibility?

LILIA VU: Yeah, for the most part. I think I kind of get down on myself when I don't perform the way want to. It's like a fine line between wanting to do well and being complacent. It's that battle that I have.

Q. You mentioned there was a lot on your mind yesterday. What specifically was going through it?

LILIA VU: I hair appointment at 5:00 p.m., and I finish at 5:04. That's all I was thinking about. Yeah, that's about it. I was like am I going to make it? Didn't make it.

Q. End up getting it rescheduled?

LILIA VU: No. I just did my own hair before the Rolex dinner.

Q. What difference do you see in yourself on the course when maybe your headspace is somewhere else versus when you're focused?

LILIA VU: I think when I have nothing else to worry about I'm very clear and I know what shot I want to do or hit, where to be and where it place myself. I just feel very free. Like I'm free to play this game and free to try to make a bunch of birdies.

Q. When you feel like you're focus is drifting, are there certain things you're able to do on the course to get back into that space?

LILIA VU: I think just Cole, my caddie, just helps me stay focused. We do what we need to do. He will be like, okay, let's make a birdie here and I'll just get into that mindset.

Q. Did you say the first time you played the front nine was on Thursday during the round?

LILIA VU: Not the first time ever, because I played last year. First time this week, yes.

Q. You talked about your mental and the aspects of your game, that, you know, it's difficult to be playing a round of golf we were so many people. During your swing routine what are your swing thoughts, things you go through mentally? What does that look like for you?

LILIA VU: Honestly, nothing really. I kind of know that my stock shot is a push draw, and then I know where I need to land it, so I kind of just visualize landing there.

I don't know. The less thoughts the better for me and it'll just end up there. My coach is laughing because I know nothing about the golf swing. (Smiling.)

Q. What do you mean you know nothing about the golf swing? When you have your swing coach with you, do you guys have certain cues for you? Is there one thing that you guys try to relate to? For me, I know I imagine my left shoulder doing something or my right shoulder doing something. Is there a specific cue for you you know that if I'm having a mishap, that's what you remind yourself of?

LILIA VU: For me it's mostly like swing around my left shoulder. I am very left-side dominant, and I think that helps me produce a draw. Most of the time if it isn't a draw it was a miss-hit.

Q. You were saying the less thoughts the better. What is it that you do think about when you're out there? There is certainly a lot time between shots when you're walking. Are there certain fun things your mind goes to? What are you thinking about then?

LILIA VU: I think Cole and I just talk about other things, what we're going too do off season. I usually talk about Taylor Swift and tell him why this song is stuck in my head and why it means so much and just the shows that I watched last night. Kind of discuss that.

No golf in between. Can't do that for that long.

Q. Is there a Taylor Swift song stuck in your head at all?

LILIA VU: Yeah, this morning was Clean. Yeah, my favorite song.

Q. What have you been watching?

LILIA VU: Curb Your Enthusiasm, season ten.