What Is 'the Dinah' in Golf?
There is an important tournament in the world of professional golf that is sometimes referred to as "the Dinah," even though that is not the tournament's actual name. What is this event, and why is it sometimes called that?
"The Dinah," or the equally used "the Dinah Shore," refers to the LPGA Tour major championship now known as the Chevron Championship. The Chevron Championship is now played in Houston, Texas, but for nearly 50 years it took place at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. And that golf course has a statue just off the 18th green of the late entertainer Dinah Shore.
Dinah Shore's name was in the title of this LPGA major for much of its early history. Because of that, there are still many, older, retired LPGA golfers who reflexively refer to the Chevron Championship as "the Dinah" or "the Dinah Shore."
Dinah Shore's connection to the tournament comes up every year when it is played, and you might hear the television broadcasters bring up the name "the Dinah," or see discussions such as this one in print or online news stories.
Just who was Dinah Shore? She was a legendary American singer, actress and entertainer who came to widespread fame with a large number of hit songs in the 1940s. She appeared in many movies, and in pre-TV days had her own hit radio show. When television came along, Shore was the star of multiple TV variety shows. Finally, in the 1970s, she hosted a syndicated daytime talk show.
Along the way she acquired a love of golf and a desire to support the LPGA Tour. She founded a tournament in 1972 that became today's Chevron Championship. It was named the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle from 1972-80, then the Colgate Dinah Shore, then the Nabisco Dinah Shore Invitational, and then, from 1983-1999, the Nabisco Dinah Shore.
Shore's name only disappeared from the tournament's name in 2000, five years after her death, when it was renamed the Kraft Nabisco Championship. (It was later the ANA Inspiration and then, in 2022, became the Chevron Championship.) Shore was a major presence at the tournament every year until her death, and even, in 1991, took the leap into Poppie's Pond with that year's winner, Amy Alcott.
And that is why the LPGA major today known as the Chevron Championship is still sometimes referred to as "the Dinah" or "the Dinah Shore." Shore is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, LPGA Hall of Fame, and Southern California Golf Hall of Fame.
Related articles:
