After Jennifer Kupcho holed her winning putt to claim the 2022 Chevron Championship title at Mission Hills, she did what the victor had done every year since Amy Alcott in 1988 – jumped into Poppie’s Pond.
Kupcho’s celebratory dip was bittersweet, though, because it was the last time the Californian venue would host the tournament following its inception in 1972, with The Club at Carlton Woods in Texas taking up the honours this year.
Players expressed sadness at the notion that 2022 would be the last time the tradition was carried out, with 2014 winner Lexi Thompson describing jumping into Poppie’s Pond as “one of my best memories” and 2016 champion Lydia Ko saying: "The biggest thing about this event is Poppie's Pond. Obviously we've had multiple different sponsors that have sponsored this event, I'm going to miss the tradition of that and every year hoping to be the one that gets to make that leap."
Those goodbyes to a much-loved ritual may have been premature, though. There is a natural pond with a dock beside the 18th hole at the new venue, while a robe will also be available. An alligator net has been installed too, so it should be safe on that score. True, it’s not chlorinated like the one at Mission Hills, while the possibility of it housing the odd snake is not out of the question, but that isn’t enough to put some players off resurrecting the tradition should they win.
Here’s what it looks like on 18 at the Nicklaus Course for @Chevron_Golf. There’s a dock if someone wants to jump. Won’t be staged but a robe will be available. pic.twitter.com/zERHbLUg3vApril 18, 2023
World No.2 Nelly Korda is targeting her second Major this week. Before the tournament she was asked if she’d jump in if she won. She was adamant, saying: “Yes, I would.”
Ko didn’t seem quite so certain, but wasn’t writing off the possibility if she replicates her success of seven years ago. She said: “Are you meant to jump? I've seen people hit shots on to the green, so I wasn't sure if it was like a hitting bay or you're a little bored to jump. I thought it was a little deck to jump, but my caddie Dave and my mom was like, surely not, because it's too small to fit everyone. But if that happens, it's definitely a good worry to see if you all can fit on the deck.”
Still, she did predict that the tradition would continue, saying: “I feel like people would jump in it because that is a tradition of this championship, and Chevron made that possible for us."
It’s been on Georgia Hall’s mind, too, who said: “I don't know if anyone is going to jump in that lake, but we'll see.” However, one player who could take some persuading is Kupcho, who explained: “I guess we'll see what comes down to it. I'm not really sure. I think there might be snakes in the water here, so might be a little interesting.”
Ultimately, whether the tradition continues appears to rest on who wins, although with the euphoria of just claiming a Major, the pond right there and likely encouragement from the crowd, you probably shouldn't bet against it.
