Poppie’s Pond has become much safer thanks to some changes to the iconic pool alongside the 18th green at Mission Hills CC.
The winner of the LPGA’s first major of 2012, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, will take the customary leap into the pond without having to worry about striking any stray rocks and getting injured in celebrating a major victory.
Carol Lewis, mother of champion Stacy Lewis, injured her leg last year while jumping into the water first made famous by Amy Alcott in 1988. It was the first recorded injury in the quarter-century-old tradition.
The pond has been cleared of some rocks and deepened at the edges to make it safer for a spontaneous jump. Tournament director Gabe Codding said the change was something that had been in the works for a while.
If Lewis successfully defends her only LPGA victory, she will have her mom take the plunge one more time.
“I told her if I win again she’s jumping in with me,” said Lewis, according to The Desert Sun. “If I win again, it’s just me and her.”