There has been a whole host of controversies since Chevron moved the championship to their home-base in the Houston area. Yet, none have made more news than the famous plunge that champions take after holing their final putt on the 18th green.

The tradition started in 1988 when Amy Alcott made the sporadic decision to jump into “Poppie’s Pond” following her victory at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. What started as just a silly intrusive thought, turned into a tradition for Alcott following her 3rd victory at Mission Hills in 1991. Alcott had become friendly with tournament organizer and Hollywood star Dinah Shore throughout her time on the LPGA Tour. So once times got tough for Alcott following the passing of her mother, Shore made a promise.

“You need to win my tournament again. You win it this coming year, and I’ll jump in the water with you.” (Dinah Shore via Golf Channel)

Alcott did just that, and walked up 18 to see Dinah Shore standing just beyond the green, bathrobe in hand. The two made the emotional jump into the water, and the tradition was born.

Despite numerous partnerships, and even a few bacterial infections, every champion made the jump into the 18th hole at Mission Viejo until 2022.

2022 marked the year that Chevron took control as the title sponsor of the event.

What followed was one of the most controversial decisions in women’s golf, and they weren’t done yet. Chevron decided if they were going to continue to put up the money to sponsor the event, they wanted it in their hometown of Houston, TX, not thousands of miles away in California. So, the tournament moved to Carlton Woods, just outside of Houston in 2023. Soon after, rumors swirled about whether or not Alcott’s tradition would continue some 1400 miles away. The question was soon answered by Lilia Vu, who made the leap into the murky water just seconds after beating Angel Yin for her first major title. The tradition seemed stable, until Chevron decided they wanted to move the tournament even closer to Houston.

Fortunately, Memorial Park Golf Course, freshly renovated by Tom Doak, proved to be a perfect fit. The course plays host to the PGA Tour’s Houston Open, and features undulating, turtleback greens. It was looking like the perfect spot to host a major.

The only problem, there’s no water hazard near the 18th green.

It seemed like the disappointing end of an era for the Chevron Championship. That was until the tournament organizers made what seemed like a late April fools’ joke on April 2nd.

I’m at Memorial Park Golf Course, which will host this year’s LPGA Chevron Championship. They’ve announced that to keep the tradition of the pond jump at the 18th hole from The Club at Carlton Woods — they will be adding a pond to the 18th hole at Memorial Park. #LPGA pic.twitter.com/AXpsuBPGaB

— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) April 2, 2026

Following Leah Vann’s post came a LOT of outrage.

“Can we stop with the forced pond jump, please? It was cool at Mission Hills. It was not cool at Carlton Woods—and we sure as hell don’t need to add a water feature at Memorial Park to continue it,” Zephyr Melton said.

Hundreds of others took to X, criticizing both the changes to Doak’s design and the continuation of what they saw as a silly tradition.

While the tour is obviously unable to build a whole pond in 3 weeks, they were able to build a makeshift pool to the right of 18 green.

Which, was also met with more hate on X.

The pool measures at just 4 feet deep, leaving many to question if the players will even make the jump.

“Obviously, I’d jump in, but maybe I’d be a little scared now because it’s only four feet,” said 17-year-old Asterisk Talley.(via Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek)

While plenty have hated the future, and current design of the pool, it’s a genius move by Chevron, and a genius move by the LPGA.

The saying any press is good press applies perfectly here.

Sure, the pool is tacky, and many are upset about the changes to Doak’s original design. But one thing is certain. More people will be tuning in on Sunday to see if the winner continues the tradition of the esteemed jump.