There’s no Green Jacket in women’s professional golf. But there’s something close to that reverence at the Chevron Championship, when the winner jumps into a pond near the 18th green. Amy Alcott kicked it off in 1988, and for nearly 40 years, it felt baked into the event, until the shift from Mission Hills Country Club to The Club at Carlton Woods put it at risk. But the tradition continued until another venue change–this time to Memorial Park Golf Course, a public muni–created another uncertainty. But put your fears to rest, because the LPGA has found a solution.

But let us first familiarize you with the tradition itself. Remember the time Mao Saigo, this week’s defending champ, leaped into the pond last season? She grabbed her trophy and embraced the winner’s tradition of jumping in, only to realize afterward she couldn’t swim. It was a scary experience for her, yet memorable all the same. Or the time when Nelly Korda won in 2024 and laughed, “Heck to the yeah!” when asked if she’d jump.

It holds value, this tradition.

All the credit goes to Alcott. After she claimed her fourth major at the 1988 Chevron Championship (then called the Nabisco Dinah Shore), edging Colleen Walker by two strokes, Alcott and her caddie took a flying leap into the pond to the right of the 18th at Mission Hills Country Club. The tradition didn’t start right away. So, she repeated the win and plunge in 1991, dropping a not-so-subtle hint for future champs. And so the tradition was born.

Some eight years later, Dottie Pepper won the major and, like Alcott, took a jump into the Champions Lake. But soon after, she caught a bacterial infection, which in turn led to a renovation, with the pond turned into what looks like a swimming pool.

They cordoned off the spot from the lake, building a concrete base for crisp, filtered water. Come 2006, it earned the name “Poppie’s Pond” to salute longtime tournament director Terry Wilcox, who bowed out in 2008. Since Alcott, the tradition has continued.

In 2023, the major sparked debate by ditching the Dinah Shore Tournament Course for the Club at Carlton Woods. There, the champs leaped into a muddy 18th-hole pond, complete with a gator net for extra reassurance. After three years there, the event packed up again for Memorial Park, home to the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open.

But there was no water body near the 18th at Memorial Park, and that needed to change for the tradition to continue. According to Golfweek‘s Beth Ann Nichols, an LPGA spokesperson revealed that an informal survey of players showed they wanted to keep it alive. Add to that statements from legends like Stacy Lewis, and you have a solid case.

On Tuesday at Memorial Park, the 2011 Chevron Championship winner, Lewis, said, “There has been a lot of debate about the pond and the jump. I’ve told a lot of people that I don’t remember getting the trophy. A lot of things I don’t remember about that ceremony. But I remember the jump and what that felt like and how cold that water was in California.”

So, memories here are essential. That is why the tour needed to find a solution quickly.

The $60,000 pool at Memorial Park and the conversations around it

Once the Texas Children’s Houston Open ended, crews started digging a plunge pool to the right of the 18th green. The temporary pool is positioned just beyond the right bunker, measuring 15 feet by 25 feet and 4½ feet deep. According to the reports, the construction cost some $60,000. More interestingly, if a ball lands in the pool during play, players get free relief, the same as hitting into a grandstand. A patio lets fans sit and watch safely, with no splash risk.

At most, pros and caddies can descend the ladder to step in or wade in like Pat Hurst chose to do in 1998. They can jump if they prefer. With the pool being shallow, only a few team members can join the winner. The champ might even skip the temporary dip altogether. Likely, that won’t happen, if history has proved us anything.

But this temporary pool has grabbed more than enough eye rolls on the internet. LPGA knows it’s not the greatest solution, and so does Stacy Lewis. But there are reasons this step is important.

LPGA stated, “When a tradition matters, you find a way to honor it — and bring fans closer to it, too.” They have done that.

Meanwhile, Lewis, who will retire this week, said, “What did it take, almost 20 years to develop the pond jump?… I just think it’s so important that we keep it, and that it’s — is it a little bit different this year? Yes. Does it look great? I mean, it’s up for debate, right? But somebody is still going to jump in there, and it’s still going to be.” It has to continue, she seemed to emphasize.

It’s the tradition that matters. The LPGA sees it as tradition first, pool size second. It holds that Chevron champs are tied to the post-plunge white bathrobe just like Masters champions to their green jacket. As the LPGA and women’s golf chase bigger crowds, crafting strong traditions matters more than ever. The sport hasn’t nailed that yet, but every eyeball matters.

And there’s enough attention from the pros. Grace Kim, for instance, said at the JM Eagle LA Championship, “I did see pictures. They’ve obviously done a good job trying to keep the tradition going.” Kim, however, was more relieved at the sight of clean water.

This week’s favorite, Hannah Green, said after her JM Eagle Championship victory a few days back, “It’s going to be a bit of a hazard; I don’t know. People could hurt themselves.”

The other favorite, Nelly Korda, meanwhile, appreciated this effort, saying, “Once you kill a tradition, it’s killed forever.” Indeed. Which is why, if she gets the chance to jump in the pool again, she will.

They will have to be careful, what with the pool that shallow. But don’t think that is the first point on the LPGA’s to-do list.

After crowning the champion this week, crews start crafting a bigger, permanent water body by the 18th green. Architect Tom Doak is back to revamp the closing hole, including the 18th green. Some course tweaks are already here, however. Aside from the temporary pool, rough thickens from 1.5 to 2.5 inches, par shifts to 72, with holes 1 and 14 stretching from par 4s to par 5s.

That could cost the Tour some.

For instance, in its most recent restoration in 2019, Tom Crane and the Astros Golf Foundation helmed a massive $34 million facelift to better prepare to host the Houston Open. Course architect Tom Doak and Brooks Koepka lent their expertise as every hole got a makeover. Come January 2019, it shut down for green overhauls. Relocated, reshaped, with extra waves on the putting surfaces (averaging 7,000 sq. ft.). Fairways got re-sculpted, bunkers slashed to just 24 across the course, plus two water hazards in play.

So, hold on this week. Next year is going to be grand.