LPGA’s first major changing venues once again

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

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

Memorial Park is also the host of the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which is now played annually in late March, just a 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. It currently ranks 88th in GOLF’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S. for 2024-25 and 16th overall in the state of Texas.

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

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

The 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 a part of their sponsorship, the purse was increased by 60% in 2022, up to $5 million.

There were reportedly still two years left on The Club at Carlton Woods’ contract.

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

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

What may need to be figured out at Memorial Park is a location for the traditional champion’s jump into “Poppie’s Pond” after the final hole. The tradition was carried over from Mission Hills to Carlton Woods after the club dredged out the lake between the 18th and 9th holes, built a dock and installed netting to protect from aligators.

Memorial Park’s 18th hole doesn’t feature any water.

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