The Chevron Championship

Founded in 1972 by Colgate-Palmolive chairman David Foster, and entertainer Dinah Shore, the championship has been classified as a major since 1983. Since its inception, it has been held annually at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, southeast of Palm Springs. It is the first major of the year, usually played in late March or early April.

At its debut in 1972 as a 54-hole event, it was the richest event in women's golf; its purse was more than double that of the LPGA Championship or the U.S. Women's Open. The first edition invited all winners of tour events from the previous ten seasons.

After over twenty years of sponsorship by Nabisco, and parent company Kraft Foods, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways became the title sponsor of the tournament in late 2014, renaming the tournament the ANA Inspiration (in reference to its slogan "Inspiration of Japan").

In October 2021, a six-year sponsorship agreement with energy company Chevron Corporation was announced that would see the tournament renamed The Chevron Championship, with an increased prize fund of $5 million in 2022, up from $3 million in 2021. It was also announced that the tournament will be moved to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods in the Greater Houston area in 2023, with a change of dates. Dinah Shore's daughter Melissa Montgomery established an advisory board to oversee the tournament's transition.

Officials intend the date change to allow for network television coverage on NBC, it has also been suggested that the tournament was moved in deference to the Augusta National Women's Amateur, which had begun to conflict with the tournament in 2019.

Tournament names

Informally, it is commonly referred to as "the Dinah Shore,"
even though her name was removed from the official title in 2000.
The winner's trophy bears Shore's name.

"Poppie's Pond"

From 1988 to 2022, the winner traditionally celebrated her victory by jumping in the pond surrounding the 18th green. The pond is known as Champions Lake or "Poppie's Pond" as it was dubbed in 2006 honor of Terry Wilcox, the tournament director from 1994 through 2008; Wilcox is known as "Poppie" to his grandchildren.

Amy Alcott established the tradition in 1988 to celebrate her second win here, and repeated in 1991, including tournament host Dinah Shore. It was not embraced by others until 1994, when Donna Andrews made the leap, followed by Nanci Bowen the next year, and it became an annual tradition. In 1998, winner Pat Hurst waded in only up to her knees, as she could not swim. Originally a very natural water hazard, the portion near the bridge was later lined with concrete and has treated water, more like a swimming pool.

The tradition was carried over to The Woodlands; the lake between the 9th and 18th holes was dredged, cleaned, and had netting installed to protect against alligators, and a dock and ladder was built on the 18th hole. Prior to the 2023 tournament, several players expressed uncertainty over whether they would take the jump—now into a natural lake instead of the treated pool used in Mission Hills. Its first champion, Lilia Vu, would take the jump into the lake.

Associated events

A women's festival known as the Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend has been held in the city of Palm Springs, California, featuring concerts by female musicians, comedy shows, parties, and other events and networking opportunities. The Dinah Shore Weekend was first organized in 1991 by promoter Mariah Hanson; it expanded upon afterparties that had become associated with the Dinah Shore tournament, and, until 2021, was held in the same week.

A large number of lesbians and bisexual women visited the Palm Springs area for the festival and tournament; the Dinah Shore Weekend was described by as the "largest annual gathering of queer women and their female allies", while the tournament as a whole had been described as "spring break for lesbians." The event continues to be held annually in Palm Springs; ahead of the tournament's relocation, the festival moved to an autumn scheduling beginning in 2021 due to weather conditions and lower hotel costs.

^ Play extended one day due to darkness.
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Winners as a non-major