THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS | “It’s a really good golf course.” Those were the words of Nelly Korda. And Lilia Vu. And Angel Yin. And Albane Valenzuela. And darn never every player who was asked about the Jack Nicklaus-signature course at The Club at Carlton Woods located in Houston’s version of Stepford, an idyllic, manufactured town called The Woodlands about 20 minutes north of Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Many wondered about moving away from the California desert where the weather was always perfect, and the views couldn’t be topped. Houston has oil wells, which made everyone wonder how the new major would look.
Turns out, it looked great. With wooded setbacks, strict sign and development ordinances, bike paths everywhere, and nine golf courses, all of them good and a few of them exceptional, The Woodlands proved to be a more than suitable host. In fact the Fazio course at Carlton Woods will be the site of the PGA Tour Champions this week, giving residents back-to-back chances to see the best in the game.
Even Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko, both of whom missed the cut, said of The Club at Carlton Woods, “It’s a really good golf course,” at various times.
That was important for the sponsor. Chevron moved away from an iconic venue to be near its world headquarters, so picking the right spot was important. For years, the AJGA has hosted one of its biggest events on the Nicklaus course. Rickie Fowler won there. So did Jordan Spieth.
“It is hard. It is,” Atthaya Thitikul said with a smile so big it could have lit up half of Texas. “As you can see on the scoreboard compared to other courses (where) maybe like 7- or 8-under par (per day) is going to be leading. We’re not really used to (the course) because it's totally different than last year. The grass is different. The greens are not that easy. It’s really slopey and tricky.”
“It’s a big golf course,” Juli Inkster said as she and I toured the back nine early in the week. “It’s in great shape, but depending on the weather and the setup, this could be as tough as they play.” During our conversation, I guessed that the winning score would be 9-under par. “Yeah, that could be about right,” Inkster said.
The number turned out to be 10.
“We’ll be better next year and better than that the year after. A lot of thought and preparation went into this week, but this is only the beginning. Keep coming back. You’ll see.”
KIM McHUGH
And while Chevron made all the right moves in the buildup – including creating an advisory council full of current and past players and giving Bentleys as courtesy cars to past champions in the field – the action inside the ropes was the real measure of the move’s success.
On that front, this one delivered. You had bold shots, incredible closing putts, deft chips, late unforced errors, inexplicable layups, water balls, and a final-hole shank from a major champion.
In the end, it came down to a playoff between 24-year-old Angel Yin, who has been in the public eye since she was 13, and 25-year-old Lilia Vu, a star at UCLA who fell apart in her rookie year on tour, thought about quitting golf, clawed her way back through the Epson Tour, and already has been an LPGA Tour winner in 2023.
Vu won after making birdies on her last two holes of regulation and then draining a downhill 15-footer for birdie in the playoff.
“Everything happens for a reason, all the bad things, everything I’ve ever struggled through, internally, myself as the biggest obstacle,” Vu said immediately after the win. “I had a tough past couple of days. I was definitely my own worst enemy. I’m really proud of myself.”
Yes, it could have been a bit warmer, and the crowds, while good, could have been bigger. But for the first time in the 51 years this championship has been played at a different site, the whole week went remarkably well.
“We’ll be better next year and better than that the year after,” said Kim McHugh, vice president of Chevron, who was a constant presence throughout the week. “A lot of thought and preparation went into this week, but this is only the beginning. Keep coming back. You’ll see.”
We saw a lot already: a new tradition as Vu plunged into the murky waters of the pond beside the final green; and a golf course that everyone embraced before the final putt fell. And, not for nothing, a bringing together of the past and future of women’s golf.
To illustrate the latter, in player dining after Thursday’s opening round, Hollis Stacy sat down at the table with A Lim Kim and her caddie, Mercer Leftwich. “I know your game,” Stacy said to Kim. “You are a really great player. I enjoy watching you.”
Kim, as usual, was unfailingly polite, but it didn’t take a body-language expert to realize she had no idea who Stacy was. When Stacy got up to get a cookie, Leftwich whispered “Hall of Fame,” and then handed over his phone after finding Stacy’s Wikipedia page.
Kim’s eyes got wide as she said, “Three U.S. Opens?” Leftwich nodded and Kim sat up a little straighter. Twenty-four hours later, she held the solo lead, and was deep in the mix on Sunday before shanking a 6-iron on the 72nd hole, part of the drama of this first year that will be revisited and replayed many times in the future.
So, the questions have been answered. The anxiety is behind us. This major is in good shape. As is the women’s game overall.
E-MAIL STEVE
Top: Chevron Championship winner Lilia Vu proves some traditions never die.
Carmen Mendato, Getty Images