DailyExpertNews
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Once again, the first women’s major golf of the season kicks off with The Chevron Championship. But on Thursday, that tee moves some 2,580 miles from its roots in the California desert.
After a 51-year residency at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, the first major of the LPGA Tour moves into Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, under a sponsorship deal with energy company Chevron.
The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course – personally designed by ‘The Golden Bear’ – will play host to a fantastic field of 132 players with 29 big winners, including defending champion Jennifer Kupcho and World No. 1 Lydia Ko.
U.S. viewers can watch the first and second rounds on the Golf Channel, with broadcasts from 10 a.m. CST to 7 p.m. CST. The Golf Channel will then provide live coverage of the last two rounds of the weekend from 2pm to 3pm CST before the action moves to NBC from 3pm to 5pm CST.
In the UK, Sky Sports Golf will broadcast the first two rounds live from 4pm to 8pm BST and from 11pm to 1am BST before switching to Sky Sports Mix for the Saturday and Sunday rounds from 7pm to 11pm BST.
A move to The Lone Star State marks just the latest – if the most substantial – development to a tournament that has changed a lot over the years.
Founded in 1972 as the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle — a nod to co-founder actress and singer Dinah Shore — the event didn’t gain major status until 1983. Chevron’s deal with the tournament was announced in 2021, ushering in a new name, a new venue and an increased prize pool of over $5 million.
By waving out Mission Hills, the event also waved goodbye to one of its most famous traditions — the Poppie’s Pond Jump, a trend started in 1988 by Amy Alcott.
Nearly 34 years later, Kupcho became the last ‘Lady of the Lake’ with her plunge into the water off the 18th green after her first major win in 2022.
However, a lake along the boundaries of the par-five 18th green at Carlton Woods offers Sunday’s champion an opportunity to revive the tradition.
World No. 20 Kupcho will face fierce competition in her bid to retain her crown. According to the organizers of the tournament, all the top 20 ranked players in the world will compete in a brilliant field with a combined 41 major wins and 247 titles.
A two-stroke lead over American compatriot Jessica Korda secured an impressive victory for Kupcho last year after sharing the lead from the end of the first round.
The victory freed Kupcho, who had arrived as the world No. 53, from a grueling rut of form. The 25-year-old returns to defend her title in a more comfortable place.
“I think I was a little bit panicked last year,” Kupcho told reporters on Tuesday.
“I was struggling to hit the ball, so I kind of panicked when I called my swing coach… to find out what was going wrong with my swing and hitting the ball.
“I would say I am a bit more relaxed this year. It feels like I have my feet under me and ready to go.
New Zealand’s Ko arrives as the player to beat, with three wins in her last eight starts consolidating her place on top as she seeks to end a seven-year wait for a third major after winning Mission Hills in 2016 .
Victory would come with the added bonus of ushering the 25-year-old into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, with Ko just two points – or one major win – shy of passing the points threshold for entry.
“It would be pretty cool to pull it off in the first major of the year and be in the Hall of Fame, but that’s not what matters to me,” Ko told reporters.
“I just want to have a good week and put myself in position, and if I get the chance and be the one to hold the trophy at the end of the week, that’s pretty awesome. But I don’t think that will be my motivation to go to one of these events this year.”
A victory for world No. 2 Nelly Korda, who missed last year’s event due to a blood clot in her arm, would add the 24-year-old American to the first major title she won at the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.
Should she win, Korda has vowed to take the plunge at the 18th green, a tradition she is happy to continue despite the change of scenery.
“I think Chevron and everyone involved in the tournament is doing a great job keeping the traditions alive,” she told reporters.
“Of course, changing location is definitely different, but… if you win, you still get to jump… and you still get to hoist the trophy, so that’s what it’s all about. They’re stepping in and supporting women’s golf, and I think the big picture that everyone needs to focus on is that they’ve stepped forward and they’re the ones supporting us.
World No. 10 Georgia Hall, England’s highest-ranked player, lands in Texas in imperious form. With two second-place finishes in her last three starts, the 2018 British Open champion has not finished outside the top-15 in any event in 2023.
“I don’t think I have a weakness in my game, and I think that’s partly why I’ve been so consistent,” Hall told reporters.
“I think my mentality is the strongest part of my game, and that’s the key to why I play well. It’s just a combination of working hard over the past two years and taking it to the next level.
“Now it’s all coming together really well, and I’m glad the hard work is paying off.”