The Chevron Championship’s traditional pond jump isn’t going anywhere.
Winners of the LPGA major have enjoyed a pond jump at various venues dating back to 1988, when Amy Alcott took the leap with her caddie on a whim into “Poppie’s Pond” off the 18th hole at Mission Hills at the then-titled ANA Inspiration, according to Golfweek. The tradition didn’t stick until 1991 at the urging of tournament host, Dinah Shore, who volunteered to take it with her if she won. In 1994, Donna Andrews honored Shore with the leap after her death from ovarian cancer. Even as the tournament has changed names and venues, the pond jump continued.
Since 2023, the Chevron Championship has been held at The Club at Carlton Woods, which has its own pond on the 18th hole. But the tournament’s move from The Club at Carlton Woods to Memorial Park Golf Course almost put an end to that tradition, since Memorial Park is lacking a pond at Hole No. 18.
But on Thursday, Chevron Championship Executive Director Glenn Weckerlin announced that Memorial Park will change that. With the help of Tom Doak, who spearheaded Memorial Park’s redesign in 2021, Weckerlin and members of the Astros Golf Foundation put together a plan to put a pond on Hole No. 18.
“We realized that if we’re going to do it the right way, it’s going to have to be ready in 2027, because there’s no way in three weeks we’re going to have that right,” Weckerlin told Chron. “So, we’ve committed to that, but then we backed into what we’re going to do this year. We looked at everything from a baby pool, a little plastic pool, to something that we’re going to do. We are going to dig a hole starting on April 6th, and by the 20th, we will have a, basically, a short-term solution, but an in-ground, full pool off the 18th hole.”
The pond adds a layer of difficulty, as golfers will have to veer their shots left of the hole, but the pond jump has become a brand of the tournament. Even this year’s tournament merchandise has hats that read, “Splash,” as well as golf shirts with small characters jumping in the water. Previous champions have jumped in the water, wrapped themselves in a Chevron Championship robes and taken pictures with the trophy.
“I think the cool part, once the pond is done, is just your casual fan can play the course and say, ‘So and so jumped in this pond here,'” LPGA athlete Stacey Lewis said. “It’s about having those traditions and keeping the LPGA on people’s minds on a daily basis.”
While this year’s pond is temporary, Hole No. 18 at Memorial Park Golf Course will be forever changed by 2027 just to keep this tradition alive.