Starting in 2023, the former ANA Inspiration will be the Chevron Championship and will be played in the Houston area, where roughly 8,000 of the company’s employees live and work. Though the date and course have not been finalized, the event will still be the first major of the year. The tour said it will be played later than the usual date of the last week of March, with the goal being to have the event aired on network television (NBC).

The 2022 tournament will be played next March for the final time at the tournament’s home since its inception in 1972—Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The new name will be in place with the overall purse jumping from $3.1 million to $5 million.

Originally called the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle, named in honour of the Hollywood celebrity who helped create the event along with then Colgate-Palmolive chairman David Foster to help promote women’s golf, the tournament celebrated its 50th anniversary in March. Previously it’s been one of two LPGA majors played at the same course annually. With that history at one venue comes plenty of traditions; among the most memorable is the tournament winner jumping into Poppie’s Pond beside the 18th hole, begun in 1988 by Amy Alcott.

The winners of the event include a large number of LPGA or World Golf Hall of Fame members: Kathy Whitworth, Annika Sorenstam, Mickey Wright, Juli Inkster, Nancy Lopez, Sandra Palmer, Judy Rankin, Donna Caponi, Karrie Webb, Patty Sheehan, Betsy King, Inbee Park, and Lorena Ochoa.

The tradition of the Mission Hills winner jumping into Poppie’s Pond, as So Yeon Ryu and family did in 2017, will be repeated one last time in 2022. Kelly Kline

It was Alcott who began the tradition of jumping into the lake next to the 18th green to celebrate her 1988 win, the second of her three wins at the event. King and Sorenstam also won the event three times.

Before moving away from the tournament’s long-time home, event organizers enlisted the support of Dinah Shore’s daughter, Melissa Montgomery, and established a Players Advisory Board make the transition as smooth as possible and help promote the championship moving forward.

LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, in making her the biggest announcement since taking the job in May, says that the decision to move the event was not taken lightly.

“The response that we received so far [from players] has been very positive,” Marcoux Samaan said. “Obviously, the history and the traditions at Mission Hills and the partnership there are very important to all of us and to everyone. So we have talked through that and again, overall, the response has been extremely positive.

“I think people know that this is an opportunity for us to sustain this major moving into the future, build new traditions, still honour the past and honour the great work that’s been done. But again, I think everyone realizes that this takes us to a whole different level.”

• • •

Given the big news regarding the LPGA’s first major, we asked Golf Digest staff to give their thoughts on the changes that are being made.

What are your initial reaction to the changes?

Nicole Rae: I’m sad to see the tournament move locations. The LPGA Tour has built such a strong fan base at Mission Hills, and I know it’s a huge event for the community. The residents and members really enjoy welcoming players and fans each year.

Hally Leadbetter: When I heard all of the changes being made to the Dinah, it made me really sad, too. I’ve heard so many of the pros call it “their Masters,” and I think a lot of that had to do with coming back to the same iconic venue again and again.

Keely Levins: Leaving Mission Hills after more than half a century is going to be tough, but the timing of this is right. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur occurs now at the same time, and it won’t be moving its date, as it aligns with the Masters. The ANWA gets network coverage, which the LPGA major did not. Moving the event to Houston gives the tournament the ability to shift to a date where it can pursue network coverage, and both the ANWA and the first major of the year can have their own spot on the golf calendar. I think it’ll boost viewership for both events, which is definitely a good thing.

Ariya Jutanugarn trades high fives with the fans during the 2016 ANA Inspiration. Sean M. Haffey

Does the increase in prize money and exposure on TV outweigh moving the event from its 50-year home?

KL: When I heard another name change was coming, I didn’t think it would necessarily be a good thing for the event. But when you look at what comes with this name change—namely the purse increase of more than 60 percent—I think change in this case is good.

Tod Leonard: Emphatically, no! As Hally mentioned, moving the Dinah (and we’ll call it that because most fans, thankfully, still refer to it as such) is akin to taking the Masters to—oh, let’s pick a random place—Idaho. There is no LPGA event that is more tied to time and place than the tour’s first major of the year. The sunshine in April, the palm trees, the perfectly manicured Mission Hills course—they all have defined the very best in the women’s game. And let’s not forget the scroll of champions, which includes most of the greatest players in each era. Yes, the increased purse and TV exposure are welcomed for a circuit that desperately needs both in the U.S., but this really does smack of a sellout by the LPGA of one of its prized traditions. Chevron could have chosen to gracefully up the purse and keep the venue.

HL: I do think the huge increase in purse and exposure for the event does outweigh the changes, but that doesn’t make it any less heart-wrenching. I hope they hold another LPGA event at the course so fans in the area will still have an event to rally behind.

What’s the biggest tradition at Mission Hills that you’ll miss?

HL: The biggest tradition I’ll miss is the jump into Poppie’s Pond and the robes that the players get to put on after. Going back to comparing it to the Masters, it’s similar to the green jacket ceremony in that sense. It’s sad that tradition will come to an end.

NR: I’ll definitely miss the leap into Poppie’s Pond! It’s disappointing that players who always dreamed of that moment won’t be able to see that through anymore. Hopefully, they can begin a new tradition with the move-in locations!

TL: It’s easy to say Poppie’s Pond, but I’ll remember two things about the 18th hole. First, it was a great par-5 finisher with so many possible outcomes—tremendous or heartbreaking—for the leaders coming down the stretch. And then there was the walk past the packed, cheering grandstands, where the players happily high-fived and connected with their people. Not another scene like it in golf, and that’s soon gone forever. You can try to do the same in Houston, but you can’t recreate the vibe at Mission HIlls.

The post LPGA Tour making major changes to year’s first major, with new name, purse, course and sponsor appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
He’s worked for Sir Nick Faldo, helmed the Hong Kong Golf Association and has consulted to Mission Hills in China – the world’s largest golf facility with 22 courses – for the past three years. It’s no surprise then that Tom Phillips owns some pretty amazing golf memories.

The absolute highlight for the 12-handicapper? “Playing nine holes with Lewis Hamilton at Mission Hills last year.”

A bit like F1, Phillips career progression has been rapid too. The 45-year-old Englishman started as the chief of the European Tour’s Middle East division on July 1, succeeding long-serving Nick Tarratt. He brings wife Tania as well as 25 years’ experience in the golf and leisure industries, the last 14 years in Asia, to Dubai and his new role.

With a BA Honours degree in media and communications and 15 years working for England’s first golfing knight as the CEO of the Faldo Series, Phillips can’t wait to get started in his dream role.

“What is my proudest single career achievement to date? Being appointed Head of Middle East for the European Tour,” Phillips says. “I’ve worked closely with the tour for more than 20 years through my different roles in golf, so to join the team and take on this position in such an important region for the sport is a privilege.”

What did you learn from your time as CEO of the Faldo Series that will be useful in your new role?
That you need to commit time and effort to any project for it to succeed. It’s a testament to Sir Nick that the time and effort he commits to the programme has launched so many successful careers over the years. Some people were sceptical when the series was first launched but all these years later he’s still devoted to the cause, taking so many players under his wing and helping them make it to a high level.

What’s the best piece of advice Sir Nick Faldo gave you?
Always keep pushing the barriers. Nick is the same in business as he was as a player: never sit back and think the job is done. What can we do next? Where is the next opportunity?  What can we do to get even better? Then keep working harder than anyone else to get there.

European Tour boss Keith Pelley says the tour is a content creator first and foremost. you have an honours degree in media and communications. we see a pattern here. will we see a significant change in the promotion/delivery of the European Tour’s Middle East product?
Key pillars for the European Tour are inclusivity and innovation and that’s something for all of us to be very proud of and excited about. We had the Jordan Mixed Open in Aqaba earlier this year which, from my point of view as a golf fan from the outside looking in, seemed to be a huge success. We’ve also had the Belgian Knockout and the GolfSixes and so it’s a really exciting time for golf in that perspective, exploring different avenues and formats and breaking down some barriers.

Phillips, left, at the 55th Anniversary edition of the Hong Kong Open in 2013

You’ve spent 14 years in Asia, a market similar to the Middle East. What has your time there, including at the Hong Kong Golf Association, taught you?
I think, even from my time in the 1990s working with a PR agency in the UK and on through my time in Asia, I have learned to adapt to the changes in the way the industry works and go with it. Take social media for instance and its incredible growth over the past 10 years or so. Social media has created so many opportunities and it’s really exciting to see how it has added to the whole PR scope. It moves at quite a pace. In China the growth of WeChat, for instance, is astronomical. It’s a huge part of life in the business community, way ahead of anything in Europe and other parts of the world. The Hong Kong Golf Association was another hugely valuable experience, working with golfers at all levels – from the world’s top players in the Hong Kong Open to local children experiencing the game for the first time through our new HSBC Golf For Schools programme.  We also had to take the governing body in a more commercial direction and we managed to achieve that with some key partners, HSBC is one of them.

Unless you’ve played there, it’s hard to get a grasp on how big/impressive mission hills is. this must have been a fascinating chapter in your career?
It really was. I have enjoyed a friendship with the Mission Hills owners for 15 years and for the last three years I consulted for them as Director of Business Development. As the world’s largest golf facility with 22 courses, they have been pioneers for golf in the country.

We see you’ve been working on Mission Hills International ‘golf and more’ strategy including recently-announced partnerships with FC Barcelona, the NBA and the PGA of America. what can golf learn from these sports/potential collaborations?
For me, that has been a really interesting experience to work with these huge organisations outside of golf. These are brands which are among the biggest in their class, which are also hugely committed to China. If you look at the European Tour and their investment into the Middle East over the last 30 or so years you can probably draw some comparisons.

What are your expectations of moving to Dubai?
I’ve been coming to the UAE and the Middle East since 2006. We teamed up with the EGA to set up a Faldo Series event in Dubai in 2006 which we combined with the opening ceremony for Nick’s re-design of the floodlit Wadi [now Faldo] Course at Emirates Golf Club. We also established the Faldo Series at Al Ain Golf and Shooting Club in the UAE – now the venue for the European Grand Final – and a few years of events in Bahrain. So, I’m quite familiar with the region. My family and I are excited to move to Dubai and get to know it even more; we have a son, [16-year-old] Sandy, who is at boarding school in the UK and looking forward to his holidays in Dubai! Aside from the job opportunity, I realise that it’s a great place to live, with its infrastructure, climate, safety, entertainment and, of course, golf.

What do you hope to achieve in your first 100 days in the role?
My first objective is to listen and learn from the existing Dubai office team and also spend time with key stakeholders, including venues, sponsors and governing bodies. I would like to think that my own international experience can help continue the excellent progress that has been made over the 30 years that the European Tour has been in the region.

Phillips: “As a golf fan from the outside looking in, the Jordan Mixed Open seemed to be a huge success.”

With six main tour events, the new Jordan Mixed Open and potentially the challenge tour season-decider again, the Middle East is a vital part of the European Tour’s global offering. How will you take it forward?
By listening to our key stakeholders in the region and understanding what they want. Knowing how invested the Tour is in the region, with initiatives like the biggest first prize [US$3 million] in golf for the winner of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, it’s a key area for global golf and for me that’s part of the attraction, the opportunity to expand and move forward.

Don’t be surprised to see innovative events like the Shot Clock Masters trialled in the Middle East if Phillips gets his way

Is growth, in terms of more events in the region, part of your remit?
I believe that there is definitely room for further expansion for the European Tour in the Middle East, both in terms of new events but also, perhaps more importantly as we’ve seen recently, new formats of the game.

Where are we at with the Challenge Tour’s end of season decider? Are we returning to RAK?
We are still in discussions about the end of season event on the Challenge Tour. An announcement will be made shortly.

Who is Tom Phillips when the tie comes off at the end of the day?
Pretty normal really…I think! I really enjoy travelling – meeting new people, visiting new places and experiencing new cultures – and I also love following sport.  But I get to do both of these hobbies in my day job so there is no real reason to be different outside of work.

What’s one thing that people may not know about you?
I’m a lifelong fan of AFC Wimbledon, formerly Wimbledon Football Club. I don’t normally admit that but, there, I’ve said it.

The post Tom Phillips unveils plan for his first 100 days as the European Tour’s new Middle East chief appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
The injury woes continue for Michelle Wie.

After withdrawing from last month’s HSBC Women’s World Championship because of a wrist injury 14 holes into the opening round, Wie has pushed back her return to the course, pulling out of this week’s Kia Classic on Monday night, according to LPGA.com.

The latest setback comes a week before the first major of the year, the ANA Inspiration.

The 29-year-old Wie had just returned to action in February following surgery last October to repair a small fracture, bone spurs and a pinched nerve in her right wrist and hand, tying for 23rd at the Honda LPGA in Thailand. A week later, however, she cited returning pain and pulled out of her title defense at the HSBC in Singapore, where she had made five bogeys and two doubles through her first nine holes before withdrawing.

Wie later said on Instagram that an MRI showed her “surgery site was healing great,” but that she was still dealing with nerve entrapment due to tendon inflammation.

It is unclear whether Wie will be able to play next week at Mission Hills.

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