Last year, Nelly Korda and her team held up five fingers during an intimate winner’s dinner, celebrating her historic fifth consecutive LPGA win after conquering the Chevron Championship. A perfect ending to a perfect day. Fast forward to Sunday, and this year’s celebration nearly turned tragic when champion Mao Saigo took her victory plunge despite a critical limitation – she couldn’t swim.

“I’m not really a good swimmer,” Saigo revealed through an interpreter after her dramatic playoff victory. “When I went inside, it was deep, and at first I thought I was going to drown.” What should have been a moment of pure jubilation turned into a rescue operation when the 23-year-old Japanese star found herself struggling in approximately five feet of murky water. Her caddie, Jeffrey Snow, had to leap in to save her.

Following her near-disaster, Saigo eventually enjoyed the exclusive winner’s dinner tradition, dining on an exquisite menu featuring a Blue Crab and Mango Salad and an A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef Medallion. As golf journalist Beth Ann Nichols revealed on X, Saigo’s meal was already set, though she’ll get to select next year’s Thomas Keller champions dinner menu.

The pond incident highlighted the differences between the current celebration venue and its predecessor. Unlike the original Poppie’s Pond at Mission Hills, which featured concrete lining and treated water similar to a swimming pool, the lake at Carlton Woods presents a more natural—and potentially more challenging—environment for the traditional victory jump. Tournament organizers had taken precautions, including dredging the lake and installing alligator netting, but Saigo’s experience demonstrates how even cherished traditions can come with unexpected challenges.

When asked about her post-rescue feelings, Saigo maintained remarkable composure. “It was scary, but I still wanted to honor the tradition,” she said through her interpreter. The incident didn’t dampen her celebratory spirit, as she later joked that her unexpected swimming lesson had made her “even more hungry for dinner.“

The contrast between Saigo’s terrifying water experience and the refined elegance of her celebration meal couldn’t have been more pronounced. The champions’ dinner featured dishes that masterfully blended Asian and Western flavors, a fitting tribute to the global nature of women’s golf.

Saigo’s dramatic day highlights how victory traditions at the Chevron Championship continue to evolve, sometimes with unexpected consequences.

The evolution of victory celebrations at the Chevron Championship

The traditions surrounding the Chevron Championship have evolved into more elaborate—and sometimes more perilous—since their humble beginnings. What started as Amy Alcott’s spontaneous leap into the water hazard at Mission Hills Country Club in 1988 has evolved into an expected ritual, regardless of a champion’s swimming abilities.

When the tournament moved from Mission Hills to The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, organizers were determined to maintain the beloved tradition. The lake between the 9th and 18th holes was specially prepared—dredged, cleaned, and equipped with alligator netting. However, this dredged lake with its murky water presents different challenges than the swimming pool-like Poppie’s Pond of the past.

The post-victory winner’s dinner is a relatively new tradition, initiated when the tournament relocated to The Woodlands. Previous champion Lilia Vu had a notably different experience in 2023, requesting only French fries, which she shared with her mother and physiotherapist before quickly departing. In contrast, Korda’s 2024 celebration was more elaborate, with her team spending two hours dining and celebrating her historic achievement.

“It remains the only victory celebration she has embraced in her career,” club CEO Steve Salzman said of Korda’s dinner last year. For Saigo, the blend of her Japanese heritage with the luxurious American seafood and beef created a fitting cultural fusion to mark her first Major victory.

As the Chevron Championship continues to build its legacy at its new home, both the victory plunge and the champion’s dinner have become integral parts of the tournament experience. Saigo’s day perfectly captured golf’s unpredictable nature – from the drama of a playoff victory to an unexpected swimming lesson, and finally to the comfort of a world-class meal.