The enthusiasm of the title sponsor and the local community is bringing the Chevron Championship to a brand-new venue, The Club Carlton Woods, in The Woodlands, Texas. Just a few weeks before the start of this first major of the year, the excitement of Chevron and its employees, the members and staff of Carlton Woods, and the residents of The Woodlands is setting the stage for a memorable LPGA event.
The Chevron Championship and the Woodlands seek to raise the bar for women’s golf
“It was really a natural fit as we looked at our portfolio of external engagements in the sports area. This is a real opportunity for us to raise the bar with women’s tournaments,” said Josetta Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Chevron, which became the new title sponsor of the former ANA Inspiration through a six-year relationship with the LPGA that began in 2022.
Jones, born and raised in the Houston area –and moving back to Texas after a period in California– will join a large Chevron employee base in the area, eager to volunteer and attend the tournament with their families and children.
“As a large Fortune 500 company we support women; we supportwomen athletics.Given the gravitas of this event and what it has done for women’s golf, we want to show that we are equally as committed to being the next chapter for this major,” added Jones about the history of a tournament with 14 champions inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Hosting a major tournament is an extreme honor for the Club at Carlton Woods and the Woodlands
According to Stacy Lewis, another Houston native and winner of the Chevron Championship in 2011 (then Kraft Nabisco), “the members and the club management at Carlton Woods are thrilled to have been chosen to host a Major Championship. Having the support of both the club and The Woodlands community will be crucial to establishing this as a wonderful major venue for the new era ahead.”
For Lewis, captain of the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup Teams, who will be participating in her sixteenth Chevron Championship from April 20-23, “being able to compete in a major in front of my friends, family and community is pretty special.”
Hosting a major championship is no small feat, but The Club at Carlton Woods seems to be the perfect stage for the next chapter of the LPGA’s first major of the season.
“We are just excited to hopefully bring more women out to watch the tournament and kind of grow their interest in the game. Since we heard that the tournament was coming officially here, we have been bragging because we are proud to have it at this location,” said Marissa Brandsburg, a LPGA Class A Professional at Carlton Woods.
Dr. Ann K. Snyder, The Woodlands Township Chairman, echoes the pride and anticipation among the community.
“We appreciate the confidence in The Woodlands with this world-renowned tournament and the highly supportive activities of women’s and girl’s golf associated with the tournament. Our residents and businesses are looking forward to making our township the most favorite place on tour,” said Dr. Snyder.
Cindy Bryson, Coordinator for Volunteers and Player Housing for IMG, one of the three tournament organizers –along with the LPGA and Chevron— celebrates how the residents are putting that excitement into action.
“The enthusiasm from the community to get involved and support The Chevron Championship has made my work a wonderful experience.As a 37-year resident, I am so proud to see the huge appetite to embrace this women’s major,” said Bryson.
“The Woodlands is a great location for all types of sporting events, and it is really exciting for us to have something of this caliber,” said Elizabeth Eddins, Executive Director of Visit The Woodlands, highlighting some of the main local attractions: 220 miles of pathways, Market Street high-end shopping, and dining along the waterway.
“We have a lot of women in leadership in The Woodlands and I think it is just kind of the right time to have this type of event,” added Eddins about The Chevron Championship, which will coincide with the Ironman Americas Championship on April 22 nd.
If there’s one thing that can be said about this new major championship location, it’s that The Woodlands will fully embrace and celebrate the best women golfers in the world with its streets and trails full of sports fans, visitors and athletes golfing, cycling, running, walking the trails, and riding the free trolley to their favorite store and restaurant along the waterways. (text: LPGA Women’s Network)