American Lilia Vu wins battle against herself as she notches season’s fourth victory at The Annika

FLORIDA – Two late birdies helped Lilia Vu pull away from the pack and record a three-shot victory at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club on Sunday in Belleair, Florida.

The win, her fourth of the season, means she is projected to move to No. 1 in the world rankings for the third time. She will remain second in the season-long LPGA Race to the CME Globe standings.

Vu posted a four-under 66 to finish the week at 19-under 261. Fellow American Alison Lee and Spain’s Azahara Munoz were joint-second at 16 under after carding final rounds of 67.

She said winning was not as easy as she made it look this season.

“I think like each win of mine has had its own battle, and I think today was again myself,” Vu said.

“The wheels were kind of falling off a little bit on the back nine, early on the back nine.

“Then (caddie Cole Pensanti) just said, ‘Hey, just play your game and one shot at a time and we can make any putt from anywhere’, so I just kept that positive mindset up.”

Vu made three birdies over her first six holes before encountering a rough stretch.

She settled for seven pars over the next eight holes and bogeyed the par-three 12th before bouncing back to birdie Nos. 15 and 16.

“I know I tend to be really hard on myself,” she said.

“As long as I set myself kind of easy, just to be in contention on the weekend, then it kind of just somehow happens.”

The 26-year-old from California won two Major championships earlier in 2023, the Chevron Championship and the British Open.

While the gap between her and France’s Celine Boutier for the CME Globe title was not fully overcome, the victory pushed Vu in front in the Player of the Year award race.

End-of-season awards will be decided after this week’s season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship.

Lee, who had four birdies and a bogey on Sunday, was happy for Vu, her former college teammate at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

“It’s really cool to see Lilia play some amazing golf this year,” the 28-year-old said. “You know, I know her first year on tour she struggled a bit, and she struggled to kind of find her way back on tour.”

Amy Yang of South Korea shot 70 and placed fourth at 15 under. Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia (67) and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark (74) tied for fifth at 14 under.

Pedersen, the 54-hole leader, failed to make a birdie all day and was done in by a double bogey at the par-four 18th hole.

China’s Yin Ruoning is no longer in contention for the Player of the Year award.

She shot a 68 on Sunday and tied for seventh at 13 under with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (65), Japan’s Minami Katsu (69) and Americans Lexi Thompson (67) and Megan Khang (68). REUTERS