"Almost felt guilty taking that spot"- Lilia Vu opens up about mental health struggles before Solheim Cup

Lilia Vu played the second Solheim Cup of her career at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. It was up to her to secure the half point necessary for Team USA to claim the trophy, a feat they hadn't achieved since 2017.

Vu's journey to the Solheim Cup was not without its challenges. She missed several weeks earlier in the season due to injury, but the two-time major champion was able to recover and secure her place on the team.

Team USA went into the final day with a 10-6 lead, needing only 4.5 points to win the trophy. Although Team Europe fought till the end, the Americans were able to earn the necessary points with four wins and three ties.

After tying her singles match with Albane Valenzuela, Lilia Vu was tasked with getting the last half point for the team's victory.

Vu spoke about it during the winning team's press conference, and this is part of what she said (via LPGA Tour):

"This week was kind of hard for me. I felt like I wasn't physically 100 percent, and I almost felt guilty taking that spot from someone else and felt like I was trying to find something out here on the golf course."

She added:

"Luckily, I have the best team around me and was able to find my game today. I'm pretty grateful to even be playing golf."

Lilia Vu withdrew from the first round of the Blue Bay LPGA in March with a back injury. It took her three months to return to the tour and she even lost the opportunity to defend her title at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the season.

However, she came back to win the Meijer LPGA Classic in just her third start since returning. A week later, she tied for second at the Women's PGA Championship.

A look at Lilia Vu's performance at the 2024 Solheim Cup

Lilia Vu started the 2024 Solheim Cup with a win when she teamed up with Sara Schmelzel to defeat Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant 3&2 in Friday morning's foursomes. Captain Stacy Lewis put her to rest that afternoon.

On Saturday, Lilia Vu teamed up with Schmelzel again for the foursomes match, this time against Anna Nordqvist and Celine Boutier. The Europeans took the point 4&3.

In the afternoon, Vu teamed up with Allisen Corpuz in the foursomes and lost to Georgia Hall and Charley Hull.

Captain Lewis placed Vu in the ninth singles match on Sunday where she played Albane Valenzuela. It was an exciting match that came down to the last two holes in spectacular fashion.

Both players came out of the front nine tied, and although Vu took the lead with a win on the 10th hole, Valenzuela responded by winning three of the next six holes to take a 2-up lead with two holes to play.

However, Vu refused to go down without a fight and managed to win the last two holes to tie the match and earn the half-point, which gave the American team their victory. Her approach shot on the 18th hole, which left the ball less than a foot from the hole, has had an enormous impact on the golf world because of its spectacular nature.