Mao Saigo’s first major win is memorable for multiple reasons, especially for her. After battling through the largest playoff in LPGA history against some of the biggest names in women’s golf, Saigo celebrated her win according to the Poppie Pond tradition. But there’s a catch: Mao Saigo can’t swim. Yes, you read that right.

So, the 1.59 m major champion found a solution by bringing her manager, Rika Arai, and television reporter Mitsuki Katahira. The result? During a post-round interview, the Japanese golfer declared that the pond “was deep, and at first I thought I was going to drown.” Despite this challenge, Saigo did not let it affect her celebration.

Sitting down for her next event, the Black Desert Championship, press conference, Mao Saigo shared what she did after walking out of The Club at Calton Woods. After bravely walking out of the pond, the golfer was asked how she planned on celebrating her win. Her answer? “I’m so happy I can’t even think about how I’m going to celebrate. Off the top of my head, I want my manager to cook something really good and then give me some rest.”

And that’s why the interviewer at the upcoming Black Desert Championship asked, “Did you celebrate, and how did you celebrate winning last week [after the Chevron Championship win]?” The Japanese major winner replied, “So after everything was done with media, with the team, I had a champion’s dinner at the clubhouse. With great food, a great atmosphere, and the team. It was definitely a good time to share the feelings with the team.”

According to reports, after her challenging experience at the 18th green pond, Saigo finally participated in the exclusive winner’s dinner tradition, enjoying a fine meal that included Blue Crab and Mango Salad, along with A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef Medallion. Thanks to her victory at the Chevron Championship, Saigo will have the opportunity to select next year’s Thomas Keller Champions Dinner menu.

Although the immediate post-major win moment wasn’t as exciting, since all three women were scrambling and panicking to get out of the deep water, Mao Saigo has a lot to look forward to post her win at The Club at Carlton Woods.

Mao Saigo is looking to claim more major wins in the 2025 season

“I still have four more majors to go, and I want to shoot for number one in the world. I will do my best in the remaining four majors,” Mao Saigo said after her win at the Chevron Championship. And for a young golfer currently looking in her form, that may even be possible, given the hype that comes with the record she has recently made.

Mao Saigo’s win at The Chevron Championship is a significant moment for her career and for women’s golf history in general. As a result of this victory, she became the fifth Japanese woman to win one of the LPGA Tour’s five major tournaments. The other four are Hisako Higuchi (1977 LPGA Championship), Hinako Shibuno (2019 Women’s British Open), Yuka Saso (2021 and 2024 US Women’s Open), and Ayaka Furue (2024 Evian Championship). However, considering the recent development and improvement of Japanese golfers on the LPGA, Mao Saigo’s win is not that surprising.

For instance, Saigo’s victory is part of a larger trend where Japanese women have been doing well in golf, with five major championships won by Japanese players since 2019. “My predecessors have also earned majors, and I really thought I needed to catch up with them as much as possible,” she said after the win. And for Mao Saigo, who is looking ahead to the second women’s major in Erin, Wisconsin, that may even come true, given that she is already leading the 2025 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award with 60 points. Only Mao Saigo’s upcoming performance will tell us if we get to see a similar incident at The Club at Carlton Woods in 2026.