ANA (aka the Dinah Shore) to move from Palm Springs to Houston

[Joel_Stewart]

One of the women's major championships, the ANA appears to be taking on a new sponsor Chevron.  Chevron is committed to offering the largest purse on the LPGA tour but wants the tournament moved to Houston.


It's a devastating blow to the Palm Springs area but money talks.



https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/10/05/exclusive-lpga-chevron-new-era-bigger-purse-new-date-changes-dinah-shore/

[David_Tepper]

Easier link:

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/10/05/exclusive-lpga-chevron-new-era-bigger-purse-new-date-changes-dinah-shore/

[Jeff Schley]

Wow, I didn't expect this. If you have the right amount of zeros anything can change. One of the few traditions for the LPGA is changing.  Even those who know nothing of women's golf see the winner jump in the lake each year.  I don't see anything mentioned in regards to venue in Houston.  Any insights?

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Wow, I didn't expect this. If you have the right amount of zeros anything can change. One of the few traditions for the LPGA is changing.  Even those who know nothing of women's golf see the winner jump in the lake each year.  I don't see anything mentioned in regards to venue in Houston.  Any insights?

They've not decided on one yet.

The women will likely say all the right things about missing the stop and the tradition and the history, but I wonder how much they really care about that… in the face of the major purse increase. So long as conditions are good (and they may very well be top-notch at the new event and better than ever in CA), I suspect most will gladly take the pay raise.

[Joel_Stewart]

A point I missed which was on Twitter this morning is that Chevron wants to move it to Texas which has the craziest governor in the nation and just signed into law the most strict abortion laws in the country. 


Hopefully some of the top LPGA players reject this move.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Concerning Texas politics and contributions to primary sponsors of the new abortion law:

Companies like AT&T, Chevron and UnitedHealth donated over $100,000 each to the Texas lawmakers behind its new abortion law

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/companies-like-atandt-and-unitedhealth-donated-over-dollar100000-to-the-texas-lawmakers-behind-its-new-abortion-law/ar-AAO1XTc

I wonder how 8000 Chevron employees are reacting to this, let alone  the LPGA members.

For Lexi Thompson, the 2014 ANA champion, taking a leap into Poppie’s Pond with her family has been the highlight of her career. It’s a venue players have looked forward to for decades.
“The views are great, and as we said, the history, too,” said World No. 1 Nelly Korda last spring.  “I’ve always said, it’s kind of like the Masters for us in women’s golf, so it’s definitely something you as a professional golfer, you want to win.

[Phil Burr]

If a move from Palm Springs occurs, I hope they don't make the mistake of using a retread venue such as Champions, Woodlands or any other former Houston Open sites.  With the comparisons from players to the Masters, why not follow that path?  I realize you can't create tradition with a first-time event, but I'd love to see them try to create an exclusive, permanent home for the event at Whispering Pines.  The obvious drawback is the location 90 minutes from Houston, but countless events overcome such a barrier.  Other than that, the club checks nearly every box I can think of:


1. Great golf course
2. Seasonally open with national membership
3. Expansive property for media, spectators, etc.
4. 33 on-site rooms in cottages - reserve them for current & past champions to have a pre-tournament on-site presence similar to Augusta (Champions Dinner, etc.)
5. Short course for Wednesday event
6. Let location enhance exclusivity (e.g. limited ticket sales)
7. Let the area grow up around the event.  Women's golf isn't as demanding as men's in terms of staging events.


All other venues in Houston seem temporary and any sponsor is willing to sell out for next better deal.  That's already happened with the LPGA Championship.  Let them honor Dinah and her legacy the same way that Augusta does Bobby Jones.

[Kalen Braley]

Phil,

I agree with your post in concept, but the current event and venue, already have those firmly established connections with Dinah Short going back nearly 50 years...its probably the closest thing in golf to a Bobby Jones/ANGC history. So I'm having difficulty seeing authenticity or a tie in otherwise with some course outside of Houston and Dinah.

[Pat Burke]

A point I missed which was on Twitter this morning is that Chevron wants to move it to Texas which has the craziest governor in the nation and just signed into law the most strict abortion laws in the country. 


Hopefully some of the top LPGA players reject this move.

Glad we don’t go straight to politics in here, but a tour typically  struggling to grow and find BIG sponsors likely appreciates the opportunity.
 
So, I suppose if your points are  a big enough problem, the LPGA could just say no and not go there.

[Phil Burr]

[size=78%]I’m subconsciously thinking about sustaining what they have in Palm Springs, and I fear that any other Houston venue would not move the legacy forward.[/size]

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Beth Nichols chimes in without dealing with Texas politics:


It's sad to see the LPGA leave Mission Hills, but here's why it's ultimately a good thing


https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/10/05/nichols-lpga-leave-mission-hills-ultimately-good-thing/

[John Kavanaugh]

I really wish they would bring back the Virginia Slims. But oil is cool too.

[Peter Flory]

I think that it's a bit of a shame.  It started as a golf tournament as turned into a Spring Break/ Mecca/ Women's music festival, etc.  it's a scene like no other and is very unique.  I think that it would have been good for the LPGA to keep that in tact. 

[Pete Lavallee]

I distinctly remember a lady making a lengthy post about how the Dinah Shore was the number one lesbian sporting event of the year. I also remember JK,s response; “nothing better than a long winded lesbian”.

[Brock Lynch]

I wonder if those that support the Dinah Shore move from Palm Springs to Houston also support the Premier Golf League concept. It's all about the money...right?

[Tim Leahy]

I distinctly remember a lady making a lengthy post about how the Dinah Shore was the number one lesbian sporting event of the year. I also remember JK,s response; “nothing better than a long winded lesbian”.

Got to wonder if the LGBTQ community doesn't use this decision to boycott Chevron, the event and even the LPGA for not only moving the event but moving it to a state that is anti womens rights and anti same sex marriage. Is the LPGA trying to distance itself from it's once gay base?

[Don Mahaffey]

So a guy with the tagline ...I like beautiful women based on their availability...is critical of a company that is spending more money on women's golf as a sponsor than any before and bringing it to a city that did not vote (in majority) for the government he criticizes for being anti women.   Remember, Trump was YOUR president too.


You think Chevron stole it away??? If so you have no clue of golf sponsorships in today's world.

[John Kirk]

Since I made an issue of a recent and very different political post, I wish to restate my general objection to the politically divisive posts in this thread.  A single post can be spectacularly successful at redirecting the energy of the conversation.  After making a big fuss last week, I would be hypocritical to not mention this.  I will focus on sports (and sometimes music) from now on.


Palm Springs is beautiful in March, but I'm the type of person who generally looks forward with optimism.  Chevron and the Houston community will be eager to prove to the LPGA that they made a good choice.


Changing the subject dramatically, this Red Sox - Yankees game tonight is very exciting.




 

[Garland Bayley]

Clearly the event needs to be held at Wolf Point.

[Tim Leahy]

So a guy with the tagline ...I like beautiful women based on their availability...is critical of a company that is spending more money on women's golf as a sponsor than any before and bringing it to a city that did not vote (in majority) for the government he criticizes for being anti women.   Remember, Trump was YOUR president too.


You think Chevron stole it away??? If so you have no clue of golf sponsorships in today's world.

Don't know what Trump or my tagline has to do with the issues in this thread but you seem to think that if a company spends enough money they can ignore women's and minority rights. Typical Republican. LOL
And comrade Trumpsky was never my president.

[Don Mahaffey]

You have no clue about my political affiliations. Take your complaints to the LPGA




No matter how much I may disagree with my states government, I reside here, and it is my government. Just as if you are an American citizen, he was your president. Attacking anyone who lives in a state that he carried is just lame. Millions of Texans didn’t vote for him or our current governor. Not every action needs to be viewed thru a left/right lens

[Don Mahaffey]

If anyone is interested in golf courses, I'm hearing Carlton Woods or Bluejack as a host site.

[Mike_Trenham]

Nobody yet has mentioned the hit this event took when Augusta National created an event to compete against it.

[John Kirk]

Bluejack National has an austere, uncluttered look to it.  Beautiful oak trees and few hazards.  It would be a nice tribute for Tiger to have his design become a tournament venue.

[Greg Hohman]

I went twice, would have attended more if circumstances had permitted. First course at which, after taking up golf in 2010, I had time to sit for hours with architecture and excellent players.