The Chevron Championship: 10 Key Storylines for the First Women’s Major of 2024
The women’s major season kicks off this week with The Chevron Championship at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston from April 23-26. It’s not just about crowning a major champion—we’ll see a significantly increased purse, a controversial new “jump” tradition, and potentially a career Grand Slam debate.
Here’s what to watch for as the action unfolds in Houston.
First Major of the Season
The Chevron Championship launches the women’s major calendar, the first of five majors in 2024. The remaining schedule includes the U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June, followed by The Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open in July.
This tournament has been a major since 1983, though under different names—from Nabisco Dinah Shore (1983-99) to Nabisco Championship (2000-01), Kraft Nabisco Championship (2002-14), and ANA Inspiration (2015-21) before Chevron took over.
Memorial Park Makes Its Debut
Memorial Park hosts The Chevron Championship for the first time, after the tournament moved from The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, where it spent the last three years. This location brings the event closer to Chevron’s corporate headquarters while reinforcing the LPGA’s commitment to Houston.
The course is set up about 660 yards shorter than it was for the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open last month, but it’ll still play long, especially after recent rain. Some players have an inside edge—Hannah Green has David Buhai on her bag, who caddied at Memorial Park just last month, while Minjee Lee can get tips from her brother Min Woo, who finished T-3 in the Houston Open.
Major Money Moves
Tournament officials announced a $1 million increase to this year’s purse, bringing it to $9 million with the winner taking home $1,350,000. Since Chevron became title sponsor in 2022, the purse has grown by an impressive $6 million.
Players are also receiving enhanced perks this year, including a $10,000 missed-cut stipend and courtesy cars for everyone—Cadillacs for most players, with past champions getting the option to drive a Bentley. Former winners also enjoy a private champions locker room and complimentary stays at the five-star Post Oak Hotel.
Poppie’s Pond Becomes… a Pool?
The champion’s celebratory jump has been a tradition since Amy Alcott first leaped into the pond at Mission Hills in 1988. The water feature was eventually named “Poppie’s Pond” in 2006 after tournament director Terry Wilcox’s nickname.
With the tournament’s move to Houston, the tradition continues—but with a twist. This year, a temporary concrete-lined pool (4.5 feet deep) has been installed specifically for the winner’s jump. Memorial Park plans to build a permanent pond by 2027, but this temporary solution has sparked debate about whether the tradition is being forced rather than evolving naturally.
And yes, players get free relief if their ball lands in the pool—another topic for the golf purists to debate.
Career Grand Slam… or Is It?
The LPGA considers winning four of the five current majors a Career Grand Slam, while winning all five is dubbed the “Super Career Grand Slam.” This distinction has created some debate, as many media outlets maintain that a true Grand Slam requires winning all available majors.
Regardless of terminology, In Gee Chun, Minjee Lee, and Anna Nordqvist could each complete what the LPGA recognizes as the Career Grand Slam with a victory this weekend.
Amateur Hour
Eight amateurs will compete at Memorial Park, including an impressive lineup featuring the top four players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking: No. 1 Kiara Romero, No. 2 Paula Martin Sampedro, No. 3 Andrea Revuelta and No. 4 Farah O’Keefe.
Also in the field are No. 7 Asterisk Talley, who recently suffered a heartbreaking loss at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and No. 8 Megha Ganne.
Korda Chasing a Third Major
Nelly Korda enters as one of the clear favorites, seeking her third major title and second Chevron Championship. Her form has been nothing short of spectacular this season—she’s played four events and hasn’t finished worse than second.
Korda won her season opener at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January and has since collected three runner-up finishes, including a T-2 at the Aramco Championship just a couple weeks ago.
Stacy Lewis’ Final Bow
Stacy Lewis is playing what she expects to be her final LPGA event this week—while four months pregnant with her second child.
The 41-year-old’s career spans back to 2009 and includes 13 wins, 118 top-10s, and nearly $15 million in career earnings. Lewis hasn’t competed since October last year at the Lotte Championship, where she finished T-32.
Lewis, a two-time major champion including the 2011 edition of this tournament (then the Kraft Nabisco Championship), was already planning to retire before discovering she was pregnant after three years of infertility and IVF treatments. Her husband, Gerrod Chadwell, who coaches Texas A&M’s women’s golf team, will be on her bag for her farewell appearance.
Beyond her playing record, Lewis leaves a significant legacy as an advocate for paid maternity leave and fertility treatment protections on tour.
Hannah Green’s Hot Streak
Australia’s Hannah Green enters the Chevron on an incredible run, having won four times since March 1: the HSBC Women’s World Championship, Women’s Australian Open, Australian WPGA Championship, and last weekend’s JM Eagle LA Championship.
Green, the 2019 Women’s PGA champion, is seeking her second major title with momentum firmly on her side. With David Buhai’s Memorial Park experience on her bag, she could be set for a Sunday showdown with Korda.
Playoff Potential
The Chevron Championship has produced more playoffs than any other women’s major since 2015, with six editions requiring extra holes to determine a champion.
Last year’s tournament featured a dramatic five-way sudden-death playoff, with Mao Saigo birdieing the par-5 18th at Carlton Woods to claim the title. Don’t be surprised if we need extra holes again this Sunday.
