Chevron Championship

(Redirected from The Chevron Championship)

The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. 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. Since 2023, it has been played on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.

The Chevron Championship
Tournament information
LocationThe Woodlands, Texas
Established
Course(s)The Club at Carlton Woods
Jack Nicklaus Signature Course
Par72
Length6,824 yards (6,240 m)
Organized by
Tour(s)LPGA Tour
FormatStroke play - 72 holes
Prize fundUS$7.9 million
Month playedApril
Tournament record score
Aggregate269 Dottie Pepper (1999)
To par−19 Dottie Pepper (1999)
Current champion
United States Nelly Korda
2024 Chevron Championship
Location map
The Club at Carlton Woods is located in the United States
The Club at Carlton Woods
The Club at Carlton Woods
Location in the United States
The Club at Carlton Woods is located in Texas
The Club at Carlton Woods
The Club at Carlton Woods
Location in Texas

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. In 2023, the championship was played in The Woodlands, Texas for the first time at The Club at Carlton Woods - Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. 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. The tournament relocated to the Greater Houston area in 2023 due to a new sponsorship agreement with Chevron Corporation.

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 (a tradition that would be carried over to The Woodlands), while an annual women's festival that originally coincidined with the championship has been held since 1991, attracting a large number of female tourists to the Rancho Mirage area.

History

Founded in 1972 by Colgate-Palmolive chairman David Foster,[1][2] and entertainer Dinah Shore,[3] the championship has been classified as a major since 1983.[4] Since its inception, it has been held annually at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, southeast of Palm Springs.[3] It is the first major of the year, usually played in late March or early April.

At its debut in 1972 as a 54-hole event, it was the richest event in women's golf;[3][5][6] its purse was more than double that of the LPGA Championship or the U.S. Women's Open. The first edition invited all winners of tour events from the previous ten seasons.[3]

After 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").[7]

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. 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. Dinah Shore's daughter Melissa Montgomery established an advisory board to oversee the tournament's transition.[8][9]

Officials intend the date change to allow for network television coverage on NBC,[8][9] it has also been suggested that the tournament was moved in deference to the Augusta National Women's Amateur, which had begun to conflict with the tournament in 2019.[10]

Tournament names

YearsTournament name
1972–1980Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle
1981Colgate-Dinah Shore
1982Nabisco Dinah Shore Invitational
1983–1999Nabisco Dinah Shore
2000–2001Nabisco Championship
2002–2014Kraft Nabisco Championship
2015–2021ANA Inspiration
from 2022The Chevron Championship
Informally, it is commonly referred to as "the Dinah Shore,"
even though her name was removed from the official title in 2000.
The winner's trophy bears Shore's name.

"Poppie's Pond"

From 1988 to 2022, the winner traditionally celebrated her victory by jumping in the pond surrounding the 18th green.[11] 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.[12]

Amy Alcott established the tradition in 1988 to celebrate her second win here,[13] and repeated in 1991, including tournament host Dinah Shore.[14] 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.[15][16] In 1998, winner Pat Hurst waded in only up to her knees, as she could not swim.[17][18][19][20] Originally a very natural water hazard, the portion near the bridge was later lined with concrete and has treated water, more like a swimming pool.[21]

The tradition was carried over to The Woodlands; the lake between the 9th and 18th holes was dredged, cleaned, and had netting installed to protect against alligators, and a dock and ladder was built on the 18th hole.[22] Prior to the 2023 tournament, several players expressed uncertainty over whether they would take the jump—now into a natural lake instead of the treated pool used in Mission Hills.[22] Its first champion, Lilia Vu, would take the jump into the lake.[23]

Associated events

A women's festival known as the Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has been held in the city of Palm Springs, California, featuring concerts by female musicians, comedy shows, parties, and other events and networking opportunities. The Dinah Shore Weekend was first organized in 1991 by promoter Mariah Hanson; it expanded upon afterparties that had become associated with the Dinah Shore tournament, and, until 2021, was held in the same week.[24][25]

A large number of lesbians and bisexual women visited the Palm Springs area for the festival and tournament;[24][25] the Dinah Shore Weekend was described by Los Angeles as the "largest annual gathering of queer women and their female allies",[26] while the tournament as a whole had been described as "spring break for lesbians."[27][28] The event continues to be held annually in Palm Springs; ahead of the tournament's relocation, the festival moved to an autumn scheduling beginning in 2021 due to weather conditions and lower hotel costs.[29][30]

Winners

YearDatesChampionCountryScoreTo parMargin
of victory
Purse
($)
Winner's
share ($)
2024Apr 18–21Nelly Korda  United States68-69-69-69275−132 strokes7,900,0001,200,000
2023Apr 20–23Lilia Vu  United States68-69-73-68278−10Playoff5,100,000765,000
2022Mar 31 – Apr 3Jennifer Kupcho  United States66-70-64-74274−142 strokes5,000,000750,000
2021Apr 1–4Patty Tavatanakit  Thailand66-69-67-68270−182 strokes3,100,000465,000
2020Sep 10–13Mirim Lee  South Korea70-65-71-67273−15Playoff3,100,000465,000
2019Apr 4–7Ko Jin-young  South Korea69-71-68-70278−103 strokes3,000,000450,000
2018Mar 29 – Apr 2^Pernilla Lindberg  Sweden65-67-70-71273−15Playoff2,800,000420,000
2017Mar 30 – Apr 2Ryu So-yeon  South Korea68-69-69-68274−14Playoff2,700,000405,000
2016Mar 31 – Apr 3Lydia Ko  New Zealand70-68-69-69276−121 stroke2,600,000390,000
2015Apr 2–5Brittany Lincicome (2)  United States72-68-70-69279−9Playoff2,500,000375,000
2014Apr 3–6Lexi Thompson  United States73-64-69-68274−143 strokes2,000,000300,000
2013Apr 4–7Inbee Park  South Korea70-67-67-69273−154 strokes2,000,000300,000
2012Mar 29 – Apr 1Sun-Young Yoo  South Korea69-69-72-69279−9Playoff2,000,000300,000
2011Mar 31 – Apr 3Stacy Lewis  United States66-69-71-69275−133 strokes2,000,000300,000
2010Apr 1–4Yani Tseng  Taiwan69-71-67-68275−131 stroke2,000,000300,000
2009Apr 2–5Brittany Lincicome  United States66-74-70-69279−91 stroke2,000,000300,000
2008Apr 3–6Lorena Ochoa  Mexico68-71-71-67277−115 strokes2,000,000300,000
2007Mar 29 – Apr 1Morgan Pressel  United States74-72-70-69285−31 stroke2,000,000300,000
2006Mar 30 – Apr 2Karrie Webb (2)  Australia70-68-76-65279−9Playoff1,800,000270,000
2005Mar 24–27Annika Sörenstam (3)  Sweden70-69-66-68273−158 strokes1,800,000270,000
2004Mar 25–28Grace Park  South Korea72-69-67-69277−111 stroke1,600,000240,000
2003Mar 27–30Patricia Meunier-Lebouc  France70-68-70-73281−71 stroke1,600,000240,000
2002Mar 28–31Annika Sörenstam (2)  Sweden70-71-71-68280−81 stroke1,500,000225,000
2001Mar 22–25Annika Sörenstam  Sweden72-70-70-69281−73 strokes1,500,000225,000
2000Mar 23–26Karrie Webb  Australia67-70-67-70274−1410 strokes1,250,000187,500
1999Mar 25–28Dottie Pepper (2)  United States70-66-67-66269−196 strokes1,000,000150,000
1998Mar 26–29Pat Hurst  United States68-72-70-71281−71 stroke1,000,000150,000
1997Mar 27–30Betsy King (3)  United States71-67-67-71276−122 strokes900,000135,000
1996Mar 28–31Patty Sheehan  United States71-72-67-71281−71 stroke900,000135,000
1995Mar 23–26Nanci Bowen  United States69-75-71-70285−31 stroke850,000127,500
1994Mar 24–27Donna Andrews  United States70-69-67-70276−122 strokes700,000105,000
1993Mar 25–28Helen Alfredsson  Sweden69-71-72-72284−42 strokes700,000105,000
1992Mar 26–29Dottie Mochrie  United States69-71-70-69279−9Playoff700,000105,000
1991Mar 28–31Amy Alcott (3)  United States67-70-68-68273−158 strokes600,00090,000
1990Mar 29 – Apr 1Betsy King (2)  United States69-70-69-75283−52 strokes600,00090,000
1989Mar 30 – Apr 2Juli Inkster (2)  United States66-69-73-71279−95 strokes500,00080,000
1988Mar 31 – Apr 3Amy Alcott (2)  United States71-66-66-71274−142 strokes500,00080,000
1987Apr 2–5Betsy King  United States68-75-72-68283−5Playoff500,00080,000
1986Apr 3–6Pat Bradley  United States68-72-69-71280−82 strokes430,00075,000
1985Apr 4–7Alice Miller  United States70-68-70-67275−133 strokes400,00055,000
1984Apr 5–8Juli Inkster  United States70-73-69-68280−8Playoff400,00055,000
1983Mar 31 – Apr 3Amy Alcott  United States70-70-70-72282−62 strokes400,00055,000

^ Play extended one day due to darkness.
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Winners as a non-major

YearChampionCountryScoreTo parMargin
of victory
Purse
($)
Winner's
share ($)
1982Sally Little  South Africa76-67-71-64278−103 strokes300,00045,000
1981Nancy Lopez  United States71-73-69-64277−112 strokes250,00037,500
1980Donna Caponi  United States71-67-66-71275−132 strokes250,00037,500
1979Sandra Post (2)  Canada68-70-68-70276−121 stroke250,00037,500
1978Sandra Post  Canada65-75-72-72283−5Playoff240,00036,000
1977Kathy Whitworth  United States76-70-72-71289+11 stroke240,00036,000
1976Judy Rankin  United States74-72-71-68285−33 strokes185,00032,000
1975Sandra Palmer  United States70-70-70-73283−51 stroke180,00032,000
1974Jo Ann Prentice  United States71-71-74-73289+1Playoff179,00032,000
1973Mickey Wright  United States71-74-71-68284−42 strokes135,00025,000
1972Jane Blalock  United States71-70-72213−33 strokes110,00020,050

Multiple champions

Multiple winners of the event as a major championship.

ChampionCountryTotalYears
Amy Alcott  United States31983, 1988, 1991
Betsy King  United States31987, 1990, 1997
Annika Sörenstam  Sweden32001, 2002, 2005
Juli Inkster  United States21984, 1989
Dottie Pepper  United States21992, 1999
Karrie Webb  Australia22000, 2006
Brittany Lincicome  United States22009, 2015
Career Grand Slam winners ‡

Through 2024, the only successful defense of the title (as a major) was by Sörenstam in 2002.[31]

Tournament records

YearPlayerScoreRound[33]
2021Lydia Ko62 (−10)4th
2006Lorena Ochoa62 (−10)1st

References