FORD CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY KCC

March 28, 2024

Lilia Vu

Seville Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here with Lilia Vu. Tied for leader in the clubhouse after an 8-under round today. Can you talk about your round and the several birdies you had out there. Chip-in, few long putts.

LILIA VU: Yeah, today, honestly, my only goal was to hit the ball solid. It's been rough the past couple weeks with how my body is doing and just struggling with a back injury.

But I'm almost 100%, so it was really fun to play without pain today and focus on where I wanted to hit the ball instead of bracing for pain.

Q. How do you give yourself grace and your body grace a little bit when it does crop up like that? It happens. You're athletes out here. How do you keep yourself in check when the pain does come up?

LILIA VU: Yeah, I think my team does a good job of that. I am very hard on myself, so definitely got in my own way last week and was really hard on myself even though I was still working through the pain.

I did pretty well given that I was spazzing out the first two rounds. Got better during the weekend and I can't ask for anything else.

Q. I think your motto is I just want to go make a bunch of birdies. Well, you did that today. When you have a round like today, how would you rank that when it comes to that goal of just making a bunch of birdies? Because you made a lot of them.

LILIA VU: Yeah, I think that really wasn't my focus. It naturally happened. I think I was really excited to pull off shots that I saw in my head. It's been a while since I've been able to hit a shot that I see, so I think it was super fun to be like, okay, I can hit a nice little draw here. Ends up maybe like 10, 15 feet, and go and try and make it.

Q. I know I asked this earlier, but for you that is a player that's hard on herself, after a season like last year, again, and giving yourself grace and kind of low expectations, it's early in the year out here, is there a method to the mental attitude you have to take after a season like that?

LILIA VU: I think I struggled a little bit the last couple months. I was holding myself to too high of a standard, and I really have to go back to my root of finding fun on the golf course before and not letting my results kind of define me.

I think when I have a really simple goal for the day golf speaks for itself at the end of it.

Q. How much have you enjoyed being on the west side of the U.S. in the past few tournaments?

LILIA VU: Oh, my gosh, it's so fun. I was telling my caddie today this course felt like my home club at home, so I was very deserty golf, which I really enjoy.

Q. Is there anything else in particular that you can related to your home course?

LILIA VU: I think just --

Q. Or maybe the way it's set up, too?

LILIA VU: I think the way it's set up. It's rewarding at some points, and if you hit good drives you're able to convert on par-5s.