Lilia Vu birdied the primary playoff gap to win her first main on the Chevron Championship after fellow American Angel Yin hit her method shot into the water on Sunday.
Yin’s second shot got here up brief and left and splashed into the pond guarding the par-5 18th gap, and Vu hit her method simply over the inexperienced. Vu went with putter from off the inexperienced and got here up properly brief, however she transformed from about 10 toes for the victory.
The 25-year-old Californian gained for the second time on the LPGA Tour and took a celebratory leap into the pond, a convention borrowed from this event’s former venue at Mission Hills within the California desert.
Vu birdied her final two holes for a 4-under 68 and a four-day whole of 10-under 278 at Carlton Woods, then waited as different contenders — together with Yin — faltered.
But Yin, after bogeys on the sixteenth and seventeenth holes, birdied the 18th to power the playoff.
Vu performed at UCLA however thought of quitting the sport after a tough begin to her professional profession. She regrouped and gained thrice on the developmental Epson Tour in 2021, then had a strong 2022 earlier than breaking by way of in February with a victory on the Honda LPGA Thailand. She got here into this occasion ranked twelfth on the earth; the 24-year-old Yin, who turned professional whereas nonetheless in highschool, was No. 172.
Unable to discover a sponsor keen so as to add to the half-century run at Mission Hills, the event — lengthy often called the Dinah Shore for its longtime celeb host — bolted the California desert for the woods of suburban Houston below a six-year take care of Chevron.
Winners had been leaping into Poppie’s Pond off the 18th inexperienced at Mission Hills since 1988, and Vu continued the custom by leaping off a small dock into murky water on a cold day.
Vu took house $765,000 for the win from a handbag of $5.1 million, the biggest ever for this occasion.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda continued to battle along with her placing Sunday however eagled the 18th to complete alone in third at 9 below.
A couple of others will rue their missed alternatives.
Atthaya Thitikul made 4 straight birdies from Nos. 7-10 was at 10-under standing within the 18th fairway when she hit her third shot into the water, resulting in double bogey.
Playing accomplice A Lim Kim was 8 below, needing a closing eagle to match Vu, when she shanked her second shot and made par. Thitikul and Vu completed two pictures again alongside Amy Yang, Albane Valenzuela and Allisen Corpuz.
Corpuz, who entered the ultimate spherical tied for the lead with Yin, had 4 bogeys within the first 9 holes to fall out of rivalry. She shot 74.
After a number of rain delays by way of the primary three rounds, play was suspended once more for 50 minutes Sunday morning due to thunderstorms within the space. The rain stopped after that, however it remained cloudy and chilly all through the day with the temperature hovering round 60 levels Fahrenheit.