NORTH LAS VEGAS (AP) – Lilia Vu and Brooke Henderson, the only players from the top 10 in women’s golf to enter the Bank of Hope Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Match Play, both delivered victories on Wednesday at Shadow Creek in the opening session of pool play.
Vu never trailed in a 4-and-3 victory over Lauren Hartlage, winning two holes early and closing her out by winning four straight holes at the end.
Henderson took the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole and relied on mistakes by Yaeeun Hong and won, 3 and 2.
Vu reached the semifinals a year ago during her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, a tournament that sparked confidence in her the rest of the season. She returns as the number one seed with two victories this year, becoming a major champion last month at the Chevron Championship. “I think deep down I believed that I could get to this point, but I always tend to get in my own way,” Vu said.
“I did that at the end of last season, which was a big lesson for me, which is really good now. Because if I fall into that and I feel myself putting a lot of pressure on myself, I know, like, ‘Hey, you’re not going to play good golf if you keep doing this.’
