The Chevron Championship, the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season, is heading to a new home. The tournament has announced its move to Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas — a decision that could reshape the event’s identity and dramatically boost its spectator appeal.
The move marks the latest chapter in a period of significant change for one of women’s golf’s most prestigious events, which spent its first 51 editions at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California before relocating to Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas from 2022.
Why Memorial Park?
The selection of Memorial Park represents a strategic bet on proximity and accessibility. Located just minutes from downtown Houston, the public golf course offers something that Carlton Woods — a private club in the suburban Woodlands area — could not: a central, easily accessible location in one of America’s largest and most diverse cities.
Tournament organizers have been candid about their ambition to grow the event’s attendance and cultural footprint. By placing the Chevron Championship closer to Houston’s urban core, they are hoping to attract a larger, more diverse audience — including casual fans and first-time attendees who might not make the trip to a suburban private club but would attend an event in their own backyard.
Memorial Park also has major championship pedigree. The course underwent a comprehensive renovation designed by Tom Doak and has hosted the PGA Tour’s Houston Open since 2020, earning praise for its challenging but fair layout and its ability to accommodate large galleries.
A History of Change
The Chevron Championship — formerly known as the ANA Inspiration and, before that, the Nabisco Dinah Shore — has undergone more transformation in recent years than perhaps any other major championship in golf. The move from Mission Hills’ iconic Dinah Shore Tournament Course in the California desert to Texas in 2022 was itself a seismic shift that divided opinion among fans and players.
The traditional winner’s leap into Poppie’s Pond, one of golf’s most recognizable victory celebrations, was left behind in the desert move. While the Carlton Woods era introduced new traditions, some felt the event lost a degree of its distinctive character in the relocation.
The move to Memorial Park represents an opportunity to write a new chapter — one that leverages Houston’s energy, infrastructure, and passion for golf to create something that feels both fresh and worthy of a major championship.
What It Means for the LPGA
For the LPGA Tour, the Memorial Park move aligns with a broader strategy to elevate the profile of women’s major championships. The 2026 LPGA schedule features 33 events across 13 countries, including five majors and the Solheim Cup, and the tour has been actively working to secure venues and broadcast deals that maximize visibility for the women’s game.
Hosting the Chevron Championship at a well-known public course in a major metropolitan area — one that already hosts a PGA Tour event — sends a message about the LPGA’s ambitions. It positions the women’s major alongside its men’s counterpart in the public consciousness, sharing a venue that fans already know and respect.
Player Perspectives
Early reactions from players have been largely positive. Memorial Park’s layout rewards accuracy and course management while still demanding length off the tee, a combination that tends to produce major champions who excel across all phases of the game. The course’s open design also allows for the kind of dramatic viewing angles that can make live attendance memorable.
The Houston climate in spring will present its own challenges. Warm temperatures, potential humidity, and the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms will add a weather element that was largely absent at the desert venues. Players and their teams will need to factor these conditions into their preparation.
Looking Ahead
The Chevron Championship’s move to Memorial Park is a bold decision that carries both opportunity and risk. If the gamble on Houston’s urban accessibility pays off — drawing bigger crowds, generating more media attention, and creating a new sense of occasion around the event — it could set a template for how women’s majors position themselves for growth in the years ahead.
For now, the move adds yet another compelling storyline to a 2026 LPGA season that is already shaping up as one of the most interesting in recent memory. When the world’s best female golfers tee it up at Memorial Park, they will not just be competing for a major championship — they will be helping to define the future of one of the sport’s most storied events.
