Abby Wambach jumps into Poppie's Pond at ANA Inspiration
This week's ANA Inspiration isn't just the LPGA Tour's first major of
2016. It's also a gathering of top female stars from around the world of
sports – skiing champion Lindsey Vonn and Olympic swimmer Missy
Franklin are just a few of accomplished athletes that have been in
Rancho Mirage, Calif., this week.
Soccer superstar Abby Wambach also is on hand, and she did something
this afternoon that no doubt every golfer in the field has been dreaming
of – she took a leap into Poppie's Pond.
Poppie's Pond – whose official name is Champions Lake – is the water
feature just off the 18th green on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at
Mission Hills Country Club. Its nickname honors longtime tournament
director Terry "Poppie" Wilcox, and the first tournament winner to take
the leap was Amy Alcott, who did so spontaneously back in 1988.
The tradition of winners jumping into the lake didn't really begin
until 1994, however, when Donna Andrews took the plunge. Every champion
since then has cannonballed into the water, and a few years ago the pond
was converted from a water hazard into more of a swimming pool for the
health and well-being of the jumpers.
I'm sure all the professional players would consider it bad form to
jump in without a win. But what if you win the pro-am, like Wambach's
team did? After her victory, the soccer legend walked over to check out
the pond. After a little encouragement from Danielle Kang, she backed
up, took a run and – ker-splash!
Here's her jump, as shared by Xochitl Pena of the Palm Springs Desert Sun. Not bad at all:
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