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Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Chevron Championship Winner's Plunge Nearly Turns Fatal in Crazy Twist
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. 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. More Golf: PGA Tour Championship Ditching 'Gimmicky' Starting Strokes Format
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
As everyone around her crumbled, Japan's Mao Saigo stood tall in wild Chevron finish
As everyone around her crumbled, Japan's Mao Saigo stood tall in wild Chevron finish THE WOODLANDS, Texas – When it comes to major championships, the 2025 Chevron Championship proved unforgettable. Mao Saigo, who counts famed Japanese player Jumbo Ozaki as a mentor, ultimately won the five-way playoff and took a victory plunge that quickly turned form celebration to distress as the water was deep and she can't swim. The women who jumped with her struggled as well. 'Every time I broke the surface, I got pulled under again,' said Saigo's caddie, Jeffrey Snow. 'They were trying to grab someone.' Mercifully, all turned out well and Saigo and team emerged from the water all smiles in their towels and robe. Saigo, speaking through an interpreter with the press, didn't hold back when asked about what's next. 'I still have four more majors to go, and I want to shoot for No. 1 in the world,' she said. 'I will do my best in the remaining four majors.' 18th hole at The Club at Carlton Woods was a hot topic Before Saigo even got to the jump though, it was already a wild scene on the 18th. Golf Twitter erupted as players – including Saigo – used the grandstand as a backstop when going for the green in two. Ariya Jutanugarn actually hit the volunteer she was aiming at after her ball bounced off the grandstand. Jutanugarn couldn't get a drop for her third, however, and practically whiffed her chip shot, which advanced only a few inches. She wound up making bogey on the hole when a par would've won her the tournament outright. That bogey dropped her to 7 under and into a tie with clubhouse leader Hyo Joo Kim. The pair were later joined by Ruoning Yin, Saigo and Lindy Duncan, the 116th-ranked player in the world whose finding her stride in her mid-30s. The first five-way playoff in LPGA major championship history commenced on the 18th, and the fear was that this might go on all night. After a fearless Yin struck an exceptional hybrid some 15 feet beyond the hole, the young Chinese superstar appeared in control. A ghastly three-putt, however, ruined her chances. Jutanugarn's birdie attempt took a hard lip-out, ending her chances at a third different major title. "The front nine was very solid especially with the eagle, but back nine just couple mistakes on par 5 that I made; two bogeys," she said. For Duncan, the share of second marked her best finish in a major. The gutsy up-and-down for birdie on the 18th to make it into the playoff gives her a world of confidence going forward. 'That was the loudest I've ever heard on a golf course,' said Duncan. 'The cheering was incredible. To make a putt like that to get into the playoff I'll remember forever.' Mao Saigo is the fifth Japanese golfer to win a major Saigo shot 2-over 74 in regulation but her two birdies on the 18th made her the fifth Japanese player to win a major. A six-time winner on the JLPGA, Saigo won the 2024 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year title on strength of consistent play. As she entered the most pressure-packed moment of her life, Saigo stepped up to a 3-foot putt after everyone around her had collapsed and got the job done. 'I was so laser-focused and nervous and really in the zone,' she said. 'All I could think of is the ball in front of me. I couldn't see anything else. 'I was shaking from nervousness, but I did my best to calm down and I shot and it went in.'
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Mao Saigo's victory plunge at the LPGA Chevron turned scary because she can't swim
Mao Saigo's victory plunge at the LPGA Chevron turned scary because she can't swim THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The 2025 Chevron Championship will be remembered for a lot of things. Most of those things happened before a trophy was handed out. But perhaps the most shocking turn of events came after Japan's Mao Saigo jumped into the murky waters just off the 18th green. Here's the thing no one watching knew: Saigo can't swim. 'It was scary,' said Saigo's caddie, Jeffrey Snow, who was part of a second wave of jumpers after Saigo went in with her manager, Rika Arai, and television reporter Mitsuki Katahira. Snow asked Saigo during the final round if she could swim, and she said no. Neither of them, however, thought the pond on the Nicklaus Course at The Club at Carlton Woods was that deep. After the three women jumped, three men followed suit, including Snow and two trainers, Yonguk Shin and Yonghee Lee. What started out as fun turned stressful for all as the women grabbed hold of the men to try to stay above water. Snow believes Saigo panicked when she couldn't touch ground, and she wasn't the only one pulling on him. 'Every time I broke the surface, I got pulled under again,' he said. 'They were trying to grab someone.' The men helped the women get back to the dock safely. Most of the onlookers weren't aware of how stressful the celebration had turned. Saigo, 23, made the lone birdie in a five-way playoff against major champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Ruoning Yin, Hyo Joo Kim and journeywoman Lindy Duncan to make her first LPGA victory a major. By jumping into the water, the 2024 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winner carried on a tradition Sunday that first started back in 1988, more than dozen years before Saigo was born. Saigo, who yelled for help in the water, had this to say through an interpreter when asked about her swimming. 'I'm not really a good swimmer,' she said. 'When I went inside, it was deep and at first, I thought I was going to drown.' Pat Hurst waded into Poppie's Pond when she won the 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore. Yani Tseng wasn't a strong swimmer either, but the man-made pond at Mission Hills wasn't anything like what's here in Texas. In fact, officials at the old tournament site actually had to deepen the pond on 18 after Stacy Lewis' mother suffered a leg injury and was hospitalized. When the LPGA's first major moved to Texas three years ago, there was no pool-like area for the traditional jump. The club originally intended to dredge the entire area to deepen the pond. The Nicklaus design team, however, was afraid the green could potentially slough, so they changed course. The club instead built a dock and then dredged from the end of the dock to the rock wall border. At the end of the dock, it's 5 feet and progresses down close to 10 feet. They also sent divers down to check for rocks and concrete blocks beneath the surface. And for peace of mind, they installed a gator net to protect the area. 'In the future, they probably should ask, can you swim?' said Snow. Maybe have a lifeguard on duty.
