Will Nelly Korda’s Health Be Compromised After Ducking Into the New Poppie’s Pond?

It is the second year of the Chevron Championship to be played on The Club at Carlton Woods after it moved from its historical venue, the Mission Hills Country Club. As the tournament organizers signed a 10-year-long contract with The Club, the women’s major will be hosting a couple more of its editions in Houston.

Even though the first women’s major saw a shift in the venue, the traditions of the Chevron Championship were still kept alive at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. It was not the Poppies Pond from Mission Hills, despite that Lilia Vu upheld the champion’s tradition of taking a dip in the pond next to the 18th green after defeating Angel Yin in the playoffs in 2023. This year, Nelly Korda cannonballed her way into the cold water after her historical major victory. But was it safe for the 13-time LPGA Tour winner’s health?

Was the Chevron Championship’s lake safe for Nelly Korda to jump in? 

In 2023, when the Chevron Championship moved states, the matter of keeping the Poppie’s Pond tradition alive was questioned. Because, unlike the pristine water at the pond in Mission Hills, the natural lake at the Club at Carlton Woods was murky and looked dangerous. There had been a risk of encountering reptiles like snakes and alligators. And even fans found the water to be dangerous.

However, the club’s general manager, Stephen Salzman, revealed that before the Chevron Championship was held in 2023, all the health measures were taken care of. From engineering issues to agronomy, everything was checked by the Club’s team, who made sure it would be safe for the players.

Moreover, on account of an alligator attack, Salzman explained that there has been only one gator sighting in ten years near The Club’s pond but as a safety measure, they have installed a gator net and Golf Digest’s Amy Roger confirmed that the net was placed in 2024 as well. The nets would keep the pond gator-free but what about the snakes? Which can slither into the ‘new’ Poppie Pond despite the installation of the nets. So, although there have been many safety measures taken by the organization, the risk of a snake bite or any other unexpected natural phenomenon cannot be dismissed.

For the champion to easily dive into the pond, the team at The Club made several arrangements and took some cautionary steps. They extended the deck away from the slippery rocks and thoroughly checked the water for any concrete blocks or rocks that could cause any injury. Even after all the efforts made to improve the safety conditions, not every play approved of jumping onto The Club’s pond.

Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho, hesitant of the Club’s murky water

The 2022 Chevron Championship winner, Jennifer Kupcho, when she came to play the first edition of the major at The Club, was asked if she would follow the same champion dunk as she did at Mission Hills Country Club. Kupcho, after thinking about the question, chose to say no to the tradition and even cited the animal present as the cause of hesitation and said, “I guess we’ll see what comes down to it. I’m not really sure. I think there might be snakes in the water here, so might be a little interesting.” But she eventually couldn’t due to missing the cut. This year, Rose Zhang was asked if she was tempted to take a leap if she won on Sunday.

The 21-year-old hesitantly said, “That’s a really good question. I was talking to my caddie about it. I’ve played ANA, played the ANA Junior Inspiration before. The pool definitely looks a little nicer than out here. I saw the board. And, you know, at that point, if you’re a major championship, why not? Just jump in. Yeah, I don’t think I would do it voluntarily.” Unfortunately, Zhang could not make the cut at this year’s first women’s major.

Nonetheless, the celebratory jump definitely made Nelly Korda’s historic win more special than it already is. Hopefully, the jump will only be remembered as a fond memory and will not be a source of any kind of trouble for the now two-time major winner in the near future.