Chevron Championship Winner's Plunge Nearly Turns Fatal in Crazy Twist
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Japanese golfer Mao Saigo made history Sunday, outlasting four other LPGA stars to win the Chevron Championship in a five-way playoff.
It was the most women to compete in the playoff in LPGA major championship history, according to The Athletic's Justin Ray.
She also became the fourth woman in the last 20 years to win a major the season after claiming the LPGA Rookie of the Year title.
But it was not all fun for Saigo.
After making birdie on the first playoff hole to win the tournament, the 23-year-old decided to continue tradition by leaping into the lake. The only problem: Saigo does not know how to swim.
"I was a bit too shy to jump in the pond by myself so I wanted to invite other people to jump in the pond with me," she said through her interpreter after the win.
"I'm not really a good swimmer. When I went inside it was deep and at first I thought I was going to drown."
After Saigo, her manager, Rika Arai, and television reporter Mitsuki Katahira jumped into the water, her caddie, Jeffrey Snow, and two other men followed suit.
Mao Saigo of Japan (C) jumps in the pond on the 18th hole after winning The Chevron Championship 2025 in a playoff at The Club at Carlton Woods on April 27, 2025
Mao Saigo of Japan (C) jumps in the pond on the 18th hole after winning The Chevron Championship 2025 in a playoff at The Club at Carlton Woods on April 27, 2025Snow later acknowledged that Saigo had expressed to him that she is unable to swim.
Onlookers celebrating her victory were completely unaware of what was transpiring in front of them. Nor did they recognize just how frightful the situation had become.
"It was scary," Snow said according to Golfweek.
"Every time I broke the surface, I got pulled under again," he said. "They were trying to grab someone."
At one point, the Chevron Championship winner could be heard calling out for help. She, nor her caddie, were aware of just how deep the water was off of the 18th green.
Thankfully, everyone escaped unscathed and the 2024 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winner can celebrate.
The tradition of jumping into the pond dates back to 1988.
Saigo did not have her best stuff on Sunday, carding a 2-over 74. But she got a bit lucky when Ariya Jutanugarn bogeyed the 72nd hole, dropping into the five-way tie.
Mao Saigo was the only one to birdie the first playoff hole (18), defeating major champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Ruoning Yin, Hyo Joo Kim and American Lindy Duncan in the playoff.
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