Cover Chinese golfer Lily Muni He discusses her growth and inspiring young women in her sport (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Chinese golfer Lily Muni He discusses her growth and inspiring young women in her sport (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
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Five years after her first interview with Tatler, Chinese golfer Lily Muni He returns to Hong Kong to discuss her evolution from anxious rookie to seventh-season pro—and why she’s determined to show young women they can be multifaceted without apology
When Lily Muni He walks into our Hong Kong meeting spot on a crisp November morning, there’s a calmness about her that feels almost paradoxical. She’s just driven from Shenzhen and has the National Games to come later in the month. But perhaps that tranquillity is precisely what seven seasons on the LPGA Tour has taught the 26-year-old: how to exist in the chaos while maintaining a sense of peace.
He, who qualified for the US Open aged only 15, has evolved from a nervous rookie into one of women’s golf’s most compelling figures, with over a million Instagram followers. “It’s really special to see that people are curious to learn about women’s sports, women’s golf and what I do [for a living],” she says. And what she does extends far beyond the golf course, though her connection to the game runs impossibly deep.
The story begins before she was even born, when her parents spent years struggling with fertility. After doctors told them they likely wouldn’t conceive, they drove from their home in Chengdu to a Buddhist temple to pray for a child. A month later, He’s mother was pregnant; the longed-for child was named after the temple where her parents’ prayers were answered. “My parents felt like it was destiny. Mù in Sichuanese has the water character in it—this character means ‘to bathe’ or ‘to cleanse’—and then Ni means ‘young girl’,” she says. Her parents also gave her the English name Lily, inspired by the lotus flower, a symbol in Buddhism representing something beautiful growing from difficult circumstances—much like her own origin story.
Above Sweater, Shirt, pants & heels from Fendi (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Above Lily Muni He (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Sweater, Shirt, pants & heels from Fendi (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
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That cultural foundation has remained unshakeable, despite having spent most of her life in the west. He left China for Vancouver when she was seven, then her family moved to California, where she graduated from secondary school. Yet at home with her family, only Sichuan dialect is spoken. Her father doesn’t speak English; her mother can but chooses not to. “I might come across as quite westernised, but I feel very much Chinese,” she reflects. “When I have a child, it’ll be very important to make sure that they’re in touch [with their roots].”
Her father’s cultural influence extends beyond language preservation. An entrepreneur who owned a Sichuan restaurant and has a background in art and culture, who introduced He to the game of golf at a young age. “Today, I have a lot of friends who are learning golf as beginners. It’s hard for me to really understand or even teach them because I can’t remember when I first learnt golf," she says. “I started competing at the age of six. It just feels second nature to me.”
But the path from golf prodigy to professional athlete wasn’t without its psychological toll. Looking back at her rookie season, He describes a state of panic. “I didn’t know if I belonged. I didn’t know if I could enjoy being on tour or if I’d be able to play long term.”
Today, she’s found her equilibrium, though it required confronting the darker aspects of life in the public eye. “I think it’s really easy to forget that we are humans,” she says, speaking about online criticism. “I am a normal person. I can’t let [online trolls] define me, because I have to remember that they don’t know me. Other people’s opinions used to define my self-worth. Now it’s really important for me to build up the truth about who I know I am and to not let the noise get to me.”
Above Hat, top & pants from Loro Piana; Heels from Loewe (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Above Top from Fila (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Hat, top & pants from Loro Piana; Heels from Loewe (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
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Her tools for maintaining optimal mental health include therapy, journaling and conversations with loved ones—resources she acknowledges are privileges. “To be able to have a therapist and to even be thinking about happiness is such a luxury,” she says. “Most people are just trying to survive—they don’t have the luxury to work on their mental health.”
Her support system also includes her partner, Formula One driver Alex Albon. “It’s been an incredible blessing to be able to find someone who can understand you and what you do,” she says. Not that she’s interested in the limelight that comes with dating an F1 driver, but rather the respect. “I feel very lucky because, despite women’s golf having much less exposure than F1, he has never once made me feel like my career wasn’t as important as his. He has always made me a priority.” In fact, she’s pragmatic about leveraging the interest in his sport for good. “F1 is so big and everybody wants to talk about F1,” she says. “If that’s a platform that can help me raise awareness for women’s golf, I’m all for it.”
On her own social media platform, He is having fun being completely herself: “I think my purpose on social media in the past few years has been to be a woman that can be multifaceted,” she says. “I can be hardworking, have a career that I enjoy and have a life outside of golf that is authentic and balanced.”
Above Hat, top & pants from Loro Piana; Heels from Loewe (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Hat, top & pants from Loro Piana; Heels from Loewe (Photo: Alexander Yeung/ Tatler Hong Kong)
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It’s this refusal to be boxed in that defines He’s current chapter. “My relationship with golf has evolved. I’m at a point where I feel grateful for my life and the position I’m in. When girls come up to me and say that I’ve inspired them to pick up golf, it makes me really emotional.”
When asked how she wants to be remembered, He doesn’t mention major championships or rankings. “I just want people to remember a very positive and kind energy,” she says. “I want to be the example of someone in female golf who stepped out of their comfort zone. I hope I set an example for young girls to feel like their identity doesn’t have to be tied to one thing.”
The next competition on the calendar was the National Games, at which she was set to represent Sichuan at the National Games. It’s something of a full-circle moment, to compete for the province where she was born, coached by the same man who gave her her first golf lessons when she was a child. And so Lily Muni He—daughter of Chengdu, LPGA pro, mental health advocate—heads back to Shenzhen for another tournament, carrying all her identities with her, refusing to choose just one.
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As Content Director at Tatler Hong Kong, Tara shapes the brand's editorial vision across social, digital and print, and reports on Asia's most influential figures — from CEOs and leaders across business, style and the arts. In her dual role as Head of VIP, she also drives the planning and execution of Tatler's flagship IPs, curating star-studded events and building the relationships and communities that define the brand. Born and raised in the Middle East, she honed her craft in Dubai, crafting communication strategies for luxury brands across the Gulf. Follow her on Instagram @tarasobti.
