LPGA’s Chevron Championship pulled out all the stops for players

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — As the sun magnificently lit up The Club at Carlton Woods for Saturday’s third round of the LPGA’s Chevron Championship, adding a hue of green that previously hadn’t been seen by TV audiences, the biggest concern tournament organizers faced was an overload of patrons waiting for the shuttle bus at a nearby park-and-ride.

Too many fans. That was the biggest takeaway after the first few rounds of play after the event moved from sacred ground in California to its new Texas home.

Steve Salzman, the general manager and chief operating officer of the club, knew many were sensitive and sentimental about the move away from Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage after 51 years. So he knew to give players a reason to keep circling the date, tournament organizers would need to dig deep into a bag of Texas hospitality.

The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The tournament added stipends of $5,000 for players who missed the cut, the first time in the tournament’s history that was offered. Players received courtesy cars for the week, with returning champs rolling around town in Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.

And those are just some of the perks the new partnership between Carlton Woods and Chevron has cooked up. LPGA players often aren’t given an option when it comes to practice balls, meaning they often have a different feel on the range. Salzman and his staff reached out to ball manufacturers and while some did provide extra balls for the range, a few did not.

“That didn’t sit really well with us,” he said. “So we contacted all the ball manufacturers to get balls. Most of the big ones came through, but there were a few that didn’t, so we dug into our own stock and made sure that was the case, so that they can practice with the balls that they play with. And I think that’s the first time that’s ever been done. The gals are walking up there and seeing their balls in boxes and they’re really happy.”

Players noticed

Many said the LPGA pros were excited about the new roots the event put down, even though it was painful to move away from the Coachella Valley. Brittany Lincicome, for example, was impressed with the treatment the players received.

“It’s been spectacular. From when we got here, picked up at the airport on Sunday, the Past Champions…