With two majors and a No. 1 ranking, Lilia Vu is finally cashing in — by getting a cat

It wasn’t long ago that Lilia Vu was contemplating life outside of golf, like during her rookie season on the LPGA, when she made just one cut in nine starts and took home a whopping $3,830 in prize money.

But the year 2023 has been transformative for the former UCLA star, one that’s seen the potential she flashed during an amateur career that included titles at the World Amateur Team Championship, Curtis Cup and Palmer Cup come bubbling to the surface.

Vu started things by winning in her second start of the season at the Honda LPGA Thailand then she cashed in at the year’s first major, the Chevron Championship in Houston, winning a playoff and taking home a $765,000 check. She didn’t stop there, adding the 2023 AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club near London, which also brought another huge payday.

Vu is returning to action this week at the CPKC Women’s Open in Vancouver, Canada, and with a pair of major titles under her belt, she unveiled a little insight into the spoils that a successful year has afforded her.

For example, after capturing the second major, Vu is now in the market for … a cat.

Wait, what?

That’s right, as per a deal she made with her father after winning the Chevron, Vu is now looking to add a feline companion to her team.

“I still feel like me. I feel like nothing has really changed. Only thing is my dad tried to bribe me. He was basically saying if I won another major we can get a cat, so I’ve been browsing for that,” Vu explained. “(That was) a deal before the major, so been browsing on cats, kitties.”

Vu, who made just one cut during her rookie campaign and then spent the next two seasons toiling on the Epson Tour, became the first American to win two majors in a season since 1999 and has since ascended to No. 1 in the world rankings.

“I think it’s definitely different. I think I can view golf in a different way now and just have fun and know that my game is good enough to be out here and just keep doing what I’m doing,” Vu said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I deserve (being No. 1), but I know I’ve put in a lot of work, and I found that my game works best when I’m having fun and just doing my thing and not thinking too much about it. Just playing one shot at a time and knowing that I can win.”

After last week’s ISPS Handa World Invitation drew a weak field, this week’s event at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club has 14 of the 16 winners on the LPGA this season, including Canadian hero Brooke Henderson, who captured this event in 2018. Vu will be paired with Henderson and Nelly Korda on the first two days with the trio heading off at 1:21 p.m local time on Thursday.

Still, the stiff competition won’t do much to intimidate Vu, especially since she’s still playing from a house money perspective. Sponsors are starting to line up behind her now, but that wasn’t the case at the season’s start.

“I won my first two events without any sponsorships. There is a lot of opportunities now, but I have my team that can handle that for me. It’s definitely been really cool and nice to see that,” she said. “It’s still a learning process. I’ve never been in this position. I really think if I keep everything the same way it will turn out okay. I have a great team and they’re there to help at any moment.”