THE LADIES OF THE LAKE

THE CHAMPION'S LEAP AT THE KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. - From Amy Alcott's inaugural dive in 1988 to Morgan Pressel's pool party with her caddie and grandmother, the victory leap into Champions Lake at the 18th hole of the Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of the most thrilling finishes in all of professional sports.

The celebratory dive was started by three-time champion and Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, and later immortalized by Alcott and tournament legend Dinah Shore when theyjumped in together after Alcott's victory in 1991.

Following a bit of a "dry spell" in the early '90s when the victory dive was not yet a tournament tradition, the past several years have found each Kraft Nabisco champion taking a dunk in the drink.

And each has been unique. The 1998 champion, Pat Hurst, waded into the water only ankle deep - for the simple fact she can't swim. Three-time champion Betsy Kingjoined the elite swimmer's club after her record-tying third win in 1997.

Dottie Pepper enthusiastically hit the drink after her 1999 win, in one of the most emotional and joyous moments in her great career. Pepper won the event in 1992 (as Dottie Mochrie), but didn't get a chance to leap into the water that year because her victory came in a playoff which finished at the 10th hole.

Karrie captured her first Kraft Nabisco title in 2000. Superstar diva and crowd favorite Celine Dion joined Webb in her victory plunge, becoming the first duo to take the leap since Alcott and Dinah back in '91.

Annika Sorenstam became the first champion to jump into the lake three times, capturing her third Kraft Nabisco title in five years in 2005. Her third victory leap was a family affair with sister, Charlotta, mother, Gunilla, and caddie Terry McNamara joining in.

Here's a history of the dives, leaps, cannonballs and wade-ins at the Kraft NabiscoChampionship over the years:

Year Player
1988 Amy Alcott goes in solo after her second tournament win.
1989 Inkster does not dive. The tradition has not yet caught on.
1990 Betsy King wins for second time, but doesn't dive in.
1991 Alcott and Dinah take the most famous leap.
1992 Dottie Mochrie wins in a playoff at the lake-less 10th hole. No dive.
1993 Helen Alfredsson wins but doesn't take the leap.
1994 Donna Andrews, before back problems, takes a leap in Dinah's memory.
1995 Nanci Bowen, a surprising and joyous winner, takes a leap into the lake.
1996 Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan cartwheels her way into the water.
1997 Hall of Famer Betsy King finds third time is a charm and joins the dive team.
1998 Pat Hurst, the only non-swimming champion, wades in, drives the crowd wild.
1999 Dottie Pepper gets most hang time with dive following incredible victory.
2000 Karrie Webb makes her Australian homeland proud with an Olympic-quality dive "down under."
2001 Annika Sorenstam leaps into the lake just nine days after walking on water by shooting the first 59 in LPGA Tour history.
2002 Sorenstam celebrates the tournament's first back-to-back victories since Sandra Post in 1978 and 1979 by wading into the lake with Reilly McNamara, daughter of caddie Terry McNamara.
2003 Patricia Meunier-Lebouc takes a French dip after foiling Sorenstam's attempt to three-peat.
2004 Grace Park turns the 18th green into Grace-land and takes a stylish swim in the lake.
2005 Annika Sorenstam goes for her third "SorenSwim," this time making it adults only and diving in with her sister, Charlotta, mother, Gunilla, and caddie Terry McNamara.
2006 Karrie Webb celebrates her Webb-feat with a double cannonball with caddie Mike Paterson. Karrie is also the first Kraft Nabisco winner to test the waters of "Poppie's Pond" in Champions Lake at 18.
2007 Just ten months after graduating from high school, Morgan Pressel takes the victory plunge with grandmother Evelyn Krickstein and caddie Jon Yarbrough.

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