A historic milestone for Vietnamese-American golfers.

Lilia Vu, immediately after winning the 2023 Women's Open major, became the first person of Vietnamese origin to hold the top spot in the history of professional golf, both men's and women's.

On August 13th, 25-year-old Vu won the 2023 Women's Open with a final score of -14, six strokes ahead of the runner-up. On the same day she clinched her second prestigious career title, she topped the Rolex Rankings for professional women's golf, pushing her compatriot Nelly Korda down to second place. This marks the first time since its inception in 2006 that two Americans have ranked first and second.

Lilia Vu lifts the 2023 Women's Open major trophy on Walton Health course in Surrey, England, on August 13. Photo: AP

"Reaching the status of the world's best golfer makes me incredibly happy, especially when comparing my current performance to the struggles I've had over the past few months," Vu told ESPN on August 14th. She started the 2023 LPGA Tour season in February, playing five tournaments over two months and finishing in the top 15 in all of them, including winning her first major women's golf title at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

The second major win for Vu came from a prestigious tournament, the Chevron Championship in April. This major victory propelled her to fourth place in the Rolex Rankings. However, she then went through a "tough period," competing in seven tournaments and being cut four times, with her best result being a 17th-place finish at a hole-in-one tournament in May. This run of results pushed Vu down to sixth place in the Rolex Rankings, before she surged to the top spot after winning the recent Women's Open.

In the world professional golf rankings, the men's ranking (OWGR) was established in 1986, and the women's ranking (Rolex Rankings) since 2006.

Both rankings, from their inception to the present, have recorded a total of 45 individuals of Vietnamese origin. Notable figures, besides Vu who recently reached the top, include Brianna Do, an American citizen on the Rolex Rankings, and Tran Le Duy Nhat and Truong Chi Quan, both Vietnamese citizens on the OWGR. However, considering their highest career rankings, Do only reached 249th place in 2018, Duy Nhat reached 644th, and Chi Quan achieved 1708th.

Currently, Do is ranked 545th, while Duy Nhat and Chi Quan are both outside the top 2000. Do, born in 1990, entered the LPGA Tour eight years before Vu, but has struggled to maintain his playing spot every season.

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