“It's unreal” – World No.2 Lilia Vu wanted to quit golf during the COVID pandemic, recalls her position when Nelly Korda won Gold at Tokyo Olympics

Lilia Vu is one of the contestants at the Olympics from the women's golf circuit, and she'll make an appearance this week in Paris. The event starts on August 7 and will continue for four days until it concludes on August 10.

The World No. 2 will be representing the US team with Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang.

As Lilia Vu joined a pre-event press conference along with Zhang, the two were asked where they were when Korda won gold in Tokyo 2020. Vu responded by saying that she wanted to quit golf because of the COVID pandemic, adding that it was "unreal" for her to still compete in the sport.

“I think that was during COVID, right? I think I was still trying to make my way back on the LPGA. I was on Epson Tour. So that's where I remember where I was at…I remember the beginning of COVID is when I wanted to quit golf. I was not even sniffing the cut on Epson Tour...So to kind of be here, it's unreal to me. I'm glad that I never quit and I'm very honoured to represent the United States in the Olympics,” Vu said (via ASAP Sports).

The 26-year-old continued to talk about how she survived through the tough time at the Espon Tour and also how COVID helped her to grow as a person.

“I think COVID game me a lot of downtime to grow as a person. I read a lot of books and I was able to change my mindset…tried to grow as a person, and the golf kind of came together. Learned how to have fun on the golf course and kind of went from there. Just little steps?” she added.

Lilia Vu will tee off at 5:55 am on Thursday. Her US teammates Nelly Korda and Rose Zhang will tee off at 3:55 am and 3:44 am ET.

How was Lilia Vu’s 2024 so far on the LPGA Tour?

She started the season with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament, where she scored 1-under 287 and finished at T18. She next played in the LPGA Drive-On Championship, ending up at T55. Next, she participated in the Honda LPGA Thailand and secured a T7 with a 16-under 272.

Next, Vu withdrew from the HSBC Women's World Championship and Blue Bay LPGA. Her next tournament was the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship, where she landed at T37. Then, Vu played at the Ford Championship at the Seville Golf and Country Club, where she secured a T21.

She only won the Meijer LPGA Classic with 16-under-272. Next, she sealed a runner-up place at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship with 75, 70, 68 and 71. She sealed a T26 at the Amundi Evian Championship with a 5-under 279. Her last event was the CPKC Women's Open, where Lilia Vu finished in T12 with 71, 70, 69 and 73.