HOUSTON (AP) \u2014 From a pond to a pool. From the warmth of the California desert to pop-up thunderstorms in Houston. The LPGA Tour\u2019s first major of the year, once laden with tradition and identity, feels as though it\u2019s starting over again at The Chevron Championship.<\/p>\n
What the LPGA was determined to keep was the most memorable aspect to this major \u2014 the winner\u2019s leap into Poppie\u2019s Pond on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Of course, Poppie\u2019s Pond isn\u2019t in Houston. It surrounds the 18th green at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, the course that first hosted the LPGA in 1972, became a beloved major in 1983 and then left for Houston with its new title sponsor<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s at Memorial Park near downtown Houston<\/a>, and the 18th hole had no water feature. So officials built one \u2014 a pool that measures 15 feet long, 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep and is located to the right of the 18th green. It will be considered a temporary immovable obstruction, meaning for the first time in championship golf, a player could hit into water and get free relief.<\/p>\n Corny? Maybe.<\/p>\n But traditions are hard to develop, and the LPGA doesn\u2019t want to let this one go, even if the pool doesn\u2019t have a name.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go back on our history, we really don\u2019t do a very good job with tradition at all,\u201d said Stacy Lewis, whose 13 career victories began with a leap into Poppie\u2019s Pond in 2011.<\/p>\n The LPGA, which dates to 1955, started with four majors, went to three, then two, back to three, then four and now is at five. Eight tournaments have served as majors over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve really lost a lot of traditions over the years. This is probably one of the only ones we have,\u201d Lewis said of the leap. \u201cTraditions don\u2019t just happen overnight. I just think it\u2019s so important that we keep it. Is it a little bit different his year? Yes. Does it look great? I mean, it\u2019s up for debate, right?<\/p>\n \u201cBut somebody is still going to jump in there,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we look back on 10 years we\u2019re going to put all these jumps together and they\u2019re all going to look the same. So I just think we got to get through this year, but it has to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n The plan for Memorial Park \u2014 also the host course of the Houston Open on the PGA Tour \u2014 is to put water down the right side to have a real leap next year.<\/p>\n Who gets to go for a swim \u2014 or a wade \u2014 on Sunday is intriguing.<\/p>\n