The LPGA’s first major changes once again

The LPGA’s Chevron Championship, the season’s first major on the calendar, is reportedly changing venues again.

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols reported The tournament, which was held in Southern California from 1972 to 2022, will move from The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, to Houston’s Memorial Park Golf Course in the year 2026.

Memorial Park is also host to the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which is now played annually in late March, just one month before the Chevron Championship last season.

The municipal course previously hosted the Houston Open in the 50s and 60s and then returned as host in 2020 after undergoing a $34 million renovation by Tom Doak. Currently ranked 88th in The 100 Best Golf Courses to Play in the USA for 2024-2025 and 16th overall in the state of Texas.

Since returning to the spring portion of the PGA Tour schedule in 2024, players have raved about the overlapping conditions on Memorial Park. This year’s event was won by Min Woo Lee, who went on to win World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland.

Chevron’s move was controversial in 2022 after the tournament’s entire 5-year existence was in Dinah Shore Tour Course at Mission Hills Country Club. The move also came with a date change from the week before the Masters to avoid conflict with the newly created Augusta Women’s National Amateur.

Chevron Corporation agreed to be the title sponsor of the event in 2021, with the agreement that the tournament would move to the Houston area in 2023. As part of their sponsorship, the purse increased by 60% in 2022, up to $5 million.

Carlton Woods reportedly had two years left on his contract at The Club.

The 2026 LPGA schedule is expected to be announced next week at the CME Group Tour Championship.

“We are in active discussions to finalize next season’s schedule and are excited about what lies ahead. There are still some moving parts, but we feel very good about the progress we have made. We look forward to sharing the 2026 schedule next week,” Ricki Lasky, the LPGA’s chief business and tour operations officer, told GOLF in a statement.

What may have to be guessed at in Memorial Park is a place for traditional champions jump into Poppie’s Pond after the final hole. The tradition was transferred from Mission Hills to Carlton Woods after the club dug the lake between the 18th and 9th holes, built a bank and put up netting to protect against alligators.

Memorial Park’s 18th hole has no water.

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