After Lilia Vu’s historic 2023 season, where she soared to World No. 1 and captured two major championships, her significant time away from the top of the leaderboard in 2024 has many golf fans asking the same question: What happened to Lilia Vu? The simple answer is a lingering back injury, but her story is much deeper than a physical ailment. This article will break down what happened with her injury, place it in the context of her incredible journey of resilience, and offer real, coach-approved advice on how you can learn from her experience to build a more durable and successful golf game.
To understand the impact of Lilia Vu’s absence, we have to remember just how dominant she was. The 2023 LPGA Tour season wasn’t just a good year for her, it was one for the history books. She transformed from a talented tour pro into the best player in the world.
Consider the highlights:
She was playing with a level of confidence and poise that was simply unshakable. Her major victory at The Chevron came via a dramatic playoff, and her win at the AIG Women’s Open was a commanding six-stroke victory. She was on top of the golf world, the culmination of a lifelong dream and years of hard work. This peak is what made her subsequent halt so noticeable.
The first signs of trouble began to show, but it was in April 2024 that the issue became impossible to ignore. Arriving at The Club at Carlton Woods to defend her title at The Chevron Championship, Lilia Vu was forced to withdraw minutes before her morning tee time. She explained that her back, an issue she had been managing, had become too aggravated to play through.
This wasn't the result of a single, traumatic swing. As is common with many golfers, it was a wear-and-tear injury - the cumulative effect of thousands of rotational movements under high stress. The golf swing, especially at a professional level, places enormous strain on the lower back. If the body's true "engine" - the core, glutes, and hips - isn't firing perfectly or becomes fatigued, the lower back often takes on a load it wasn't designed to handle.
Vu was effectively sidelined for several months, missing a string of tournaments she would have been a favorite to win. For a player who had built so much momentum, this forced stop was both a physical and mental setback. It meant losing a chance to defend a major title and pausing her reign at the top of the sport. The question wasn't just "Can she heal?" but also "Can she reclaim that unstoppable form?"
To think of Lilia Vu’s 2024 struggles in isolation misses the most important part of her story. This is not her first time facing adversity that would have derailed most other golfers. In fact, her entire career is defined by her incredible resilience.
After a standout amateur career at UCLA, Vu had a brutal rookie season on the LPGA Tour in 2019. In 18 events, she made only one cut and earned just $3,830. The constant struggle and disappointment led to complete burnout. She has openly discussed how she lost her love for the game and considered quitting for good, taking odd jobs and pursuing a different path away from golf.
But she didn't quit. Instead, she took a break and rediscovered her motivation. She went back to the Epson Tour (the LPGA’s developmental tour) in 2021, and instead of seeing it as a step back, she used it as a fresh start. She won three times that year, earned her LPGA card back, and the rest is history. Her journey from nearly quitting to becoming World No. 1 is arguably one of the most inspirational comeback stories in modern golf.
This history is critical. It shows that Lilia Vu has a mental toolkit for navigating struggle. The 2019 burnout was a mental and emotional challenge, the 2024 injury is a physical one. But both require patience, determination, and a big-picture perspective - qualities she has proven she has in abundance.
As a golf coach, I see Lilia Vu's story not as one of failure, but as a powerful teaching moment for every amateur golfer. Pro golfers push their bodies to the absolute limit, and sometimes, the body pushes back. Here’s what you can learn and apply to your own game to prevent a similar setback.
The an lower back is often the victim, but it's rarely the criminal. The source of back pain in golf usually comes from one of two places:
You don't need to be a gym rat, but integrating some simple, golf-specific exercises into your routine can be a game-changer for longevity and performance. Focus on these areas:
Lilia Vu’s breakthrough came when she rediscovered the joy of the game. Her burnout, and potentially her injury, came from the immense pressure and grind of competing at the highest level. Amateurs often make a similar, smaller-scale mistake: mindlessly beating balls at the range.
Lilia Vu's recent absence from the top of golf is not a story about a player disappearing, but one of a world-class athlete facing the physical realities of the game. Her journey through injury, framed by her past triumph over burnout, serves as a powerful reminder that resilience, patience, and intelligent body management are just as important as a perfect golf swing.
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