THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Taking a celebratory jump into the water after winning The Chevron Championship is one of the most coveted honors in all of women’s golf. Whether a player got to leap into Poppie’s Pond at Mission Hills Country Club in California or has made the jump at the event’s new venue, The Club at Carlton Woods, in The Woodlands, Texas, every winner of this prestigious major championship will tell you just how much that plunge means to their careers at large and knows what a special tradition it is in context of the history of the women’s game.

Take a look back at some of the best pond jumps in the history of The Chevron Championship:

Amy Alcott (1988)

Amy Alcott

The original Poppie’s Pond jumper, Amy Alcott, won her fourth major title in 1988 at what was then known as the Nabisco Dinah Shore after beating Colleen Walker by two strokes in Rancho Mirage, Calif. In a moment of sheer joy, Alcott and her caddie took a running jump in the pond to the right of the 18th green at Mission Hills Country Club, starting a tradition that has continued well into the modern era of women’s golf.

Amy Alcott, Dinah Shore (1991)

Amy Alcott with Dinah Shore

Amy Alcott captured her final LPGA Tour title in 1991 at the Nabisco Dinah Shore, and fittingly, she made her celebratory leap alongside tournament namesake Dinah Shore that year at Mission Hills Country Club.

Donna Andrews (1994)

Donna Andrews

Not everyone followed Alcott’s lead when it came to taking a celebratory leap into Poppie’s Pond, and it definitely took some convincing from the crowd for 1994 champion Donna Andrews to get into the water. But she ultimately kicked off her shoes and quite literally dove in, taking a joyful little swim to commemorate her first and only major championship victory.

Patty Sheehan (1996)

Patty Sheehan

Most remember the cartwheel Patty Sheehan did after winning the 1996 Nabisco Dinah Shore, as it’s one of the most iconic moments in the history of LPGA major championships. Sheehan didn’t jump into Poppie’s Pond after she was crowned champion that year at Mission Hills Country Club, instead walking into the famous body of water with the Dinah Shore Trophy in hand to celebrate her victory.

Annika Sorenstam (2005)

Charlotta and Annika Sorenstam

Superstar Swede Annika Sorenstam won her third Kraft Nabsico Championship in 2005 by eight shots over Rosie Jones, and having made the leap into Poppie’s Pond twice before, Sorenstam chose to have her sister Charlotta join her for her third jump, what was a beautiful display of the pair’s loving sisterhood.

Lorena Ochoa (2008)

Lorena Ochoa

Lorena Ochoa wanted her Poppie’s Pond jump to be a family affair after collecting her second major victory at the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship. But it was the way she moved mid-air that makes her leap one of the most famous in the history of this tournament. Somehow, Ochoa got enough leverage to be in a fully seated position with her legs straight out when she hit the water, an impressive display of the Mexico native’s off-course athleticism.

Lydia Ko (2016)

Lydia Ko

An 18-year-old Lydia Ko picked up her second major title at Mission Hills Country Club in 2016, winning what was then known as the ANA Inspiration by one stroke over In Gee Chun and Charley Hull in Rancho Mirage, Calif. As she took her jump into Poppie’s Pond, Ko made a heart shape over her head, a move that is now one of the most recognizable jumps in the history of the major tournament that is now referred to as The Chevron Championship.

Jennifer Kupcho (2022)

After becoming the first woman to win at Augusta National Golf Club when she triumphed over Maria Fassi at the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Colorado native Jennifer Kupcho won The Chevron Championship in 2022 and subsequently was the last champion to jump into Poppie’s Pond at Mission Hills Country Club. The event was moved to The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas the next season, but the pond jump tradition has continued despite the venue change.

Amy Alcott, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc, Sandra Palmer, Patty Sheehan (2022)

Patty Sheehan and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc

Following Jennifer Kupcho’s jump into Poppie’s Pond, a group of past Chevron champions, including Amy Alcott, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc, Sandra Palmer and Patty Sheehan, decided to make one last leap to commemorate the history made in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Sheehan had the most impressive jump of the four winners, doing a backflip into the pool right of the 18th green at Mission Hills Country Club, but it was a special moment for all involved, one that women’s golf fans won’t soon forget.

Nelly Korda (2024)

After making a big splash by winning in her fifth consecutive LPGA Tour start at the 2024 edition of The Chevron Championship, Nelly Korda cannonballed into the lake left of the green at The Club at Carlton Woods, an epic way to celebrate making history in The Woodlands, Texas and earning her second career major championship title.

Look Back at Some of the Best Pond Jumps in the History of The Chevron Championship

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