RANCHO MIRAGE, Cali. — Patty Tavatanakit begins the defense of her Chevron Championship title with a feeling no other defender has faced in the tournament’s 51-year history.
“It’s a bittersweet goodbye I guess,” Tavatanakit said as the last player who will defend the LPGA major championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. The event will move to the Houston area next year, meaning whoever wins the title this week won’t come back to the Dinah Shore Tournament Course a year from now.
“Having to move this event out of California, out of the desert, it’s sad,” said Tavatanakit, who played in the tournament twice as an amateur while at UCLA. “I love coming back here. But we’re evolving and changing, and we always look forward to what’s new.”
