10 storylines to watch at the 2026 Chevron Championship

The Chevron Championship marks the start of major season for the women. Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston will host the major for the first time this season from April 23-26.

We will not only see a major champion crowned on Sunday, but also a bigger purse awarded, a controversial jump into a pool, and a potential debate about whether a player achieved the career Grand Slam.

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Here are 10 storylines to watch as The Chevron Championship unfolds this week.

First major of the season

Unlike men’s golf, which has four majors, women’s golf currently has five. The Chevron Championship is the first major of the season. Following it are the U.S. Women’s Open (June), the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (June), The Amundi Evian Championship (July), and the AIG Women’s Open (July).

The Chevron Championship has been a major, albeit with different names, since 1983. Before Chevron became the title sponsor, it held the names of Nabisco Dinah Shore (1983-99), Nabisco Championship (2000-01), Kraft Nabisco Championship (2002-14), and ANA Inspiration (2015-21).

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Welcome [back] to Memorial Park

Memorial Park is playing host to The Chevron Championship for the first time this season.

It was announced in January that the tournament would move from The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas – where it was hosted the past three years – to Houston’s Memorial Park. The course also hosts the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which saw an emotional win from Gary Woodland less than a month ago. This move gets the major closer to title sponsor Chevron’s corporate headquarters while reaffirming the LPGA’s commitment to the Houston area.

Memorial Park is set up approximately 660 yards shorter than it was for the men a month ago, but it will still play long, especially after being soaked by rain earlier in the week. With the men on the PGA Tour playing here regularly, some players may get advice from their counterparts. World No. 5 Hannah Green even has David Buhai on her bag this week; he looped for Karl Vilips last month at Memorial Park. Minjee Lee, meanwhile, is able to get some pointers from her brother, Min Woo, who finished T-3 at this year’s Houston Open.

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A major purse increase

Tournament officials announced Tuesday a $1 million increase to The Chevron Championship purse over last year. It will now be $9 million, with this year’s winner receiving $1,350,000. The purse at the Chevron has increased by $6 million since title sponsor Chevron came on in 2022.

In addition to the purse increase, players will be offered a few other perks at Memorial Park, including a missed-cut stipend of $10,000 to all players who fail to make it to the weekend. Additionally, all players will be provided with their own courtesy car. Most players will receive a Cadillac, but past champions will get the option to drive a Bentley. Past champions also get access to a private champions locker room and are invited to stay for free at the Post Oak Hotel – a five-star hotel and spa in the area.

Poppie’s Pond becomes a pool

In 1988, while the Chevron was still being hosted at Mission Hills, a tradition was establish by that year’s champion, Amy Alcott, when she jumped into the pond surrounding the 18th green to celebrate her win. The tradition didn’t pick up steam for a few years, but the pond was endearingly named “Poppie’s Pond” in 2006, in honor of then-tournament director Terry Wilcox’s nickname. When the tournament moved to The Woodlands, the lake between the ninth and 18th holes was made suitable for swimming — including installing netting to protect against alligators — so the tradition could continue. The safety of the water feature at The Club at Carlton Woods was called into question throughout the tournament’s tenure there.

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Yet another move has made the topic of “the jump” a headline once again. This year, a temporary, concrete-lined pool has been installed to encourage the continuation of the celebration. Memorial Park plans to install a man-made pond at the 18th green in time for the 2027 tournament, but the temporary pool has been a hot topic in the lead-up to the tournament. Questions have centered around the look of the pool, as well as the depth (4.5 feet) and whether the tradition is being unnecessarily forced since the move from Mission Hills.

And if you’re wondering, ‘What happens if a player hits their ball into the pool?’ Yes, they get free relief — another thing to debate.