Majors Season Rolls On, The LPGA's Chevron Championship Is Up Next

In golf culture, the Masters is considered the official start to golf season. Days get longer, the weather gets warmer, and we all softly hum "Georgia On My Mind" while booking spring tee times. In professional golf culture, that magical week in Augusta also kicks off the rest of majors season. The next major isn't the PGA Championship—it's the Chevron Championship, formerly known as the ANA Inspiration.

This week the LPGA Tour touches down in Houston for the third edition of the Chevron Championship held at The Club at Carlton Woods. It's a Jack Nicklaus designed course that's long (it'll be playing just over 6,900 yards this week), with big undulating greens, and plenty of water in play and bunkers to cause havoc.

The Chevron Championship, despite having a new name and venue, is still very rooted in the history of women's golf. It celebrates and honors traditions set in decades past, while working to stay with the times and modernize as the golf evolves. Here's are five things to note about the Chevron Championship.

The History

Amy Alcott and Dinah Shore (Photo by David Cannon/Allsport/Getty Images)

The tournament itself dates back to 1972, before its days as one of the LPGA's five majors. Founded by singer, actress, and golf sicko Dinah Shore along with Colgate-Palmolive chairman David Foster, it was a premier event in women's golf.

Shore's celebrity status brought in so much attention, not just to the event but to women's golf. Being in Hollywood's backyard, many notable names would make appearances, especially at the pro-am. The pro-am saw guests like Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Glen Campbell.

With its growing popularity, the tournament became a major in 1983 under the name the Nabisco Dinah Shore, where Amy Alcott won her first of three titles.

Shore and Alcott shaped the history of the event in many ways. Many players and fans still refer to the event as "The Dinah" (the current Chevron Trophy is called the Dinah Shore Trophy), meanwhile Alcott was the one who took a leap in creating another tradition.

Poppie's Pond

After her win in 1988, Alcott did something that no one else did. In celebration of her second win at the newly crowned major, she jumped into the pond surrounding the 18th green. She'd go on to jump again after her win in 1991, but it wasn't fully embraced by other players until 1994, and eventually each winner would go on to celebrate victory with a leap into Poppie's Pond.

Legend has it, it was dubbed "Poppie's Pond" in 2006 honor of tournament director Terry Wilcox (1994 through 2008). Wilcox is known as "Poppie" to his grandchildren.

The Venue Change

Although the tournament underwent many name changes through the years, the venue stayed the same. It was a constant in women's golf. Each spring, usually in March or April the LPGA would return the the lush green hills in the desert to the glorious Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Ca.

But then in October 2021, that changed too. The Chevron Corporation and the LPGA agreed to a a six-year sponsorship agreement with an increased prize fund of $5 million in 2022, up from $3 million in 2021. The new partnership signified the end of an era—a new tournament name and a different course and...a new date.

Around this time, a new women's event also popped up...the Augusta National Women's Amateur. In 2019 and 2021, ANWA and Chevron would coincide with one another and many amateurs were forced to choose between the two events. The first major of the season, like the Masters, has a history of inviting amateurs to play and participate the timing was a bit of a conflict.

Chevron coming in and moving tournament dates also opened itself up to different coverage times slots with NBC, as well as providing a solution for amateurs to participate in ANWA and Chevron.

Stars of ANWA in the Field This Week

Photo by Augusta National via Getty Images

Coming off the heels of ANWA, eight amateurs will compete in The Chevron Championship this week. Most highly anticipated is, of course, 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion Carla Bernat Escuder who made history as the first player to card three sub-70 rounds to finish the week 12-under. The 21-year-old Senior at Kansas State will make her LPGA debut this week at The Club at Carlton Woods.

Amateurs who have played and qualified their way into the field:

-Clarisa Temelo (2025 Women’s Amateur Latin America Champion)

-Jeneath Wong (2025 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Champion)

-Chayse Gomez (The highest-placing graduating senior from the 2024 Chevron Silverado Showdown)

-Asterisk Talley (2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up)

-Lottie Woad (2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion)

-Carla Bernat Escuder (2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion)

*Sponsor exceptions have been awarded to USC freshmen and world No.2 Jasmine Koo and 17-year-old Gianna Clemente.

See the full field here (and stay tuned for a breakdown of who to watch).

Nelly Korda's Title Defense

One of the biggest storylines to follow this week is world No.1 Nelly Korda's title defense at Chevron.

Last week her champions dinner menu was revealed (and dare we say better than Scottie's?)

Compared to last year Korda's 2025 start has been slow, but I think we all know better than to count the 15-time LPGA winner out. She's one to rise to the occasion, and if you will recall Korda made an incredible late surge to the top of the Chevron leaderboard last year when no one was looking. Korda played her way into the final group on moving day to got the job done. With this victory, she also tied the LPGA record for five-straight wins. Enough said.

How To Watch (all times Eastern)

Thursday and Friday

11AM-3PM: Golf Channel/NBC Sports App

6-8PM: Golf Channel/NBC Sports App

Saturday and Sunday

2-3PM: NBC Sports App

3-6PM: NBC/Peacock