Multiple winners of the event as a major championship.LPGA: Ladies Professional Golf Association Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records. See also: List of Chevron Championship winners Year Originally a very natural water hazard, the portion near the bridge it is now lined with concrete and has treated water, more like a swimming pool. In 1998, winner Pat Hurst waded in only up to her knees, as she could not swim. It was not embraced by others until 1994, when Donna Andrews made the leap, followed by Nanci Bowen the next year, and it became an annual tradition. Īmy Alcott established the tradition in 1988 to celebrate her second win here, and repeated in 1991, including tournament host Dinah Shore. The pond is known as Champions Lake or "Poppie's Pond" as it was dubbed in 2006 honor of Terry Wilcox, the tournament director from 1994 through 2008 Wilcox is known as "Poppie" to his grandchildren. "Poppie's Pond" įrom 1988 to 2022, the winner traditionally celebrated her victory by jumping in the pond surrounding the 18th green. Informally, it is commonly referred to as "the Dinah Shore,"Įven though her name was removed from the official title in 2000. Officials intend the date change to allow for network television coverage on NBC, it has also been suggested that the tournament was moved in deference to the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Dinah Shore's daughter Melissa Montgomery established an advisory board to oversee the tournament's transition. It was also announced that the tournament will be moved to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods in the Greater Houston area in 2023, with a change of dates. In October 2021, a six-year sponsorship agreement with energy company Chevron Corporation was announced that would see the tournament renamed The Chevron Championship, with an increased prize fund of $5 million in 2022, up from $3 million in 2021. Īfter over twenty years of sponsorship by Nabisco, and parent company Kraft Foods, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways became the title sponsor of the tournament in late 2014, renaming the tournament the ANA Inspiration (in reference to its slogan "Inspiration of Japan"). The first edition invited all winners of tour events from the previous ten seasons. It is the first major of the year, usually played in late March or early April.Īt its debut in 1972 as a 54-hole event, it was the richest event in women's golf its purse was more than double that of the LPGA Championship or the U.S. Since its inception, it has been held annually at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, southeast of Palm Springs. History įounded in 1972 by Colgate-Palmolive chairman David Foster, and entertainer Dinah Shore, the championship has been classified as a major since 1983. In 2022, the championship was held in Mission Hills for the final time as part of its new title sponsorship agreement with Chevron Corporation, the championship will be moved to a new venue in 2023, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods to coincide with the company's move to the Greater Houston area. The championship's time at Mission Hills is associated with several traditions in 1988, Amy Alcott established a tradition of the event's champion diving into the pond that surrounds the 18th hole, while an annual women's festival coinciding with the championship has been held since 1991, attracting a large number of female tourists to the Rancho Mirage area for the events annually. Sometimes referred to as The Dinah Shore in deference to its founder, the tournament has had many official sponsored titles, all of which included Shore's name until 2000 since then it has been titled as the Nabisco Championship, Kraft Nabisco Championship, and ANA Inspiration. In 2023, the championship was played in The Woodlands, Texas for the first time at The Club at Carlton Woods - Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. Founded in 1972 by singer and actress Dinah Shore and Colgate-Palmolive chairman David Foster, it was played at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California from its inception through 2022. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament.
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