Thursday, February 11, 2010

I'm ready!

Reporters, photographers and sponsors attended the press conference with world number 1, Lorena Ochoa. With a shy smile and sat alone in a long table, the Mexican superstar listen to the opening speech by her manager and brother, Alejandro Ochoa.
Lorena has 107 top 10s in 168 tournaments, which means she's finished in the top 10 63.6% of the times she's played.

Numbers, performance and earnings were the main subjects Alejandro talked about, he didn't say much about Lorena's past season, instead, he emphasized the importance of her results thru her professional career.

Several minutes after, it was Lorena's turn and the very first words she said were "I'm looking forward to packing and start playing". Her season will be tough, she has already committed to 21 tournaments, but she might add a couple more deppending on her performance and health.

"A year ago I couldn't win majors, but this season I want to take home some of them". This is true, 2009 wasn't good major-wise: Kraft Nabisco: T12; McDonald's LPGA Championship: 23rd; Women's US Open: 26th; Women's British Open: 28th.

Still, Ochoa has one thing on her mind "I want to win as many tournaments as possible, there's one that for sure would be very special, the one I host; it would be like a dream come true, I know it's gonna be tough, but I know I can do it".

Of course the "groove rule" came into the table, but different from the guys,  Lorena assured "I have to strike the ball a bit different and, as a woman,  I have won some yards, maybe 3 or 5, so it's not a disadvantage at all. The men have struggled because they are stronger and they hit it with so much power".

Today Ochoa is ready to keep reigning women's golf, "I've never kept an eye on other players, neither on their game nor on their scores, and I don't think I need to. I will focus on my own stuff, trying to improve what I 'm supposed to and becoming better everyday".

Finally, she took some minutes to talk about her foundation "the school we have, La Barranca, is doing great; we already have some kids in junior high, but there's still a lot of work to do in order to have better facilities and higher  academic standards".

It's a fact, this year Lorena won't have to worry about getting married, choosing furniture for her new appartment or moving in. Still, there are some things that won't go away anytime soon: increasing her advantage in the Rolex Rankings, winning majors and taking back her status as a role model because this is the season in which the LPGA needs her the most!
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