Lilia Vu of UCLA, a junior from Fountain Valley, became the second Bruin in three years to be named PING WGCA Player of the Year.
Vu joined former Bruin teammate Bronte Law, who captured the award presented by the Women’s Golf Coaches of America in 2016.
The PING WGCA Player of the Year Award is given annually to the best player in Division I women’s golf. The recipient of the award, first presented in 1987, is selected by according to criteria that includes common opponents, scoring average, results in regular season events, tournament victories and strength of schedule.
Vu posted a 70.37 scoring average this season, the lowest full-season scoring average in UCLA program history. She won four times this season and posted nine Top 10 finishes, including a tie for seventh in the recent NCAA Championships.
Vu had 20 under-par rounds to tie a single-season school record, with 13 of them being in the 60s, which set a school record.
Her victories came in consecutive events at the Battle at the Beach, the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, the Bruin Wave Invitational and the Wildcat Invitational, giving her a UCLA record of eight wins in her career.
Vu, helped the Bruins capture the Pacific 12 Conference Championship and tied for low score in the conference tournament before losing to teammate Patti Tavatanakit on the first hole of a playoff.
In addition, Vu was selected to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American team, joining Tavatanakit, Andrea Lee of Stanford, Maria Fassi of Arkansas, Kristen Gillman of Alabama, Jillian Hollis of Georgia, Cheyenne Knight of Alabama, NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho of Wake Forest, Leona Maguire of Duke, Sophia Schubert, of Texas, Lauren Stephenson of Alabama, and Maddie Szeryk of Texas A&M.
