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GINN TRIBUTE HOSTED BY ANNIKA MEDIA CONFERENCEMay 23, 2007Lorena OchoaDANA von LOUDA: I'd like to thank everybody for calling in today. We'd like to welcome Lorena Ochoa, obviously the No. 1 ranked female golfer in the world. Lorena, thank you for calling in today. We know you're home in Guadalajara. We thank you for taking time with us. First of all, congratulations on defending your title last week at the Sybase Classic. LORENA OCHOA: Thank you. DANA von LOUDA: And next week you'll be playing at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika. You're probably enjoying this week off between tournaments. If you can, first of all, talk a little bit about what you're doing this week to either relax or prepare for next week and talk about next week's tournament. LORENA OCHOA: Thank you. Hello to everybody. Yes, I am very happy to be here at home for a few days and just relax and have some time with my family and my friends. Last week was a great week for me. First time I get to defend my title and win the tournament. It was very special because it was my first one after being named No. 1. I can't wait to go over there next week and play Annika's tournament. I think it's going to be a great event. We're all very excited. It sounds like it's supposed a beautiful city, beautiful golf course. Everybody is talking about the tournament. I'm going to tell you I'm going to make sure I get a couple days' rest here and practice and be ready a hundred percent for my game. DANA von LOUDA: Lorena, if you could talk a little bit about the Ginn Open, it is also sponsored by Ginn Resorts, this is the Ginn Tribute. They've made a commitment to the LPGA to sponsor two events. You have played the Ginn Open. Can you talk about their events, what you get excited about or expect from one of their events? LORENA OCHOA: I do want to say thank you to Ginn for supporting the LPGA. The event they run in Orlando is amazing, everything. They do such a great job with the clubhouse and the tournament. The golf course is in great shape. We all love to go. You know, just knowing that it's such a great event, we're always looking forward to play this year's tournament in South Carolina. I've never been in Charleston, so I'm very excited. My dad is coming with me. We're very excited to go there next week. DANA von LOUDA: Thank you. We'll now turn it over to the question-and-answer session. Q. Lorena, right now what are you anticipating not only for next week but for the entire summer? Are you really anticipating a long rivalry with Annika over the summer? Towards the end of the summer, are you planning to come up to Canada? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I will go to Canada. Actually I'm very excited to go to Edmonton. It's a place where I have a lot of friends. You know, I think the summer is just full of great events. We know Annika is coming. She's always strong and ready to win, so the competition is going to be tough. But I've been preparing myself. I've been practicing really hard. I think I have a lot more experience than the years before. I'm telling you that my game is in good shape. We always try to prepare and peak during the summertime for all the big tournaments. I'm just, you know, excited to go. I'm going to take one week at a time. We still have some big tournaments before we go to Canada, but we'll be there for sure. Q. I'd like to ask you about the one thing that's missing from your resumé: the major. Your first major is coming up in two weeks. Will you prepare any differently now as this next major comes up or do you still stay the same routine as if it's any other tournament? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think my way of thinking is always I play every tournament to win; it doesn't matter if it's a small tournament or a major tournament. I can only tell you that I really, really want to win a major. I know I'm more prepared. I have more experience. I feel ready to go. This is 2007, hopefully the year for me to start winning majors. It's obviously something very important that we all as professionals dream on winning majors. It would be great to do it this year. I know the course in Delaware is a beautiful golf course. I'm going to give it a good try, try hard, and hopefully I can get that big trophy. Q. I know you work hard on every part of your game, but is there one area of your game that you're working harder on that you're looking to improve even more? LORENA OCHOA: For sure my short game. Actually, in Kingsmill, I struggled with my short game. I hit really good my tee shots. I had a lot of birdie opportunities, but I didn't feel very comfortable with my patting. That's one of the things I really focused on in the practice before the Sybase tournament on Monday and Tuesday. We spent extra time on the putting green and chipping. It worked out. I feel really good during the tournament. That's going to be the key: just making sure I spend more time putting and chipping. I think we will be in good shape to play the tournament. Q. Can you tell me how the golf academies are coming along? LORENA OCHOA: They are doing good, thank you. We are right now with the two golf academies. We're still waiting to open the third one. It's going to be in Monterrey. The process, it's been a lot of work with Rafael, my coach, especially and a group that we have that is helping us, teaching professionals here in Mexico to make sure all of them work in the same line. That's been a lot of work, but we want to make sure we don't just run or not have a hundred percent of the control that we want to achieve. So we have a great response for little kids. The academy here in Guadalajara, we have 80 little girls and boys from age 6 to age 12. That's amazing to see. It really gives me a lot of joy. We'll let you know when we open the third one. But thank you for asking. Q. Who or what was most influential in your early development in getting started with golf? LORENA OCHOA: Well, for sure my dad. I used to go and watch him play on the weekend, just kind of enjoy being with him. I told him I really liked the game, can I take some lessons. Right away my first lesson when I was five. My first competition was when I was six. What I love most is the competition. I like it very much. Later on, Rafael Alarcon, which is now my teacher, I was very lucky. We both belong at the same golf club and we practiced together. I always saw him. Now these days he's been my mentor, my fan, my coach, really helping me inside and outside the golf course. For sure he's a big part of my success. Q. Why do you have such a passion for growing the game and being so dedicated to the academies and getting kids started at a young age? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I feel I've been blessed with the talent and just the opportunity to play golf in different parts of the world. I wish there were many, many Mexicans playing professionally, either girls or boys. I guess that's one of the things that I can at least do to help others. I love to help others, talking about golf or outside the golf course. We're trying to really just help them, follow them one step at a time, thinking about playing junior golf, maybe going to the United States, get a scholarship, free education, playing on a great team. They need to be just aware that it could be done. Don't be afraid of dreaming. I'm going to make sure I help as many kids as I can. Q. Can you comment on the standard Annika has set for women's golf in the last few years, how that has driven play by the young players? How has your reign as No. 1 player been? LORENA OCHOA: I admire Annika so much, respect her so much. She is really the one that changed the game. Because of her, we make sure we work harder. We go to the gym, get strong, we try to hit the ball far. The scores are really getting better and better. She's the one that really motivate me. My dream was to follow her and be at the top, be No. 1. We all know how great Annika is. Because of that, we are just trying to follow. This is a time where the competition shows that anybody can win. It's hard to dominate. So far I'm really enjoying my time at No. 1. It's something that I've been working for many, many years. I'm prepared to be in that position because I've been working hard. I can only tell you this is going to be a big challenge, but my dream is to stay in that position. I'm going to do everything it takes to maintain my first place. Q. When you turned professional, which did you think would happen first: winning a major or becoming No. 1? LORENA OCHOA: Winning a major, for sure, because when you are little, when you're practicing, when you are playing -- well, when I was playing here in Mexico, every time I have a 10-footer or 12-footer, I say, Okay, this is to win the U.S. Open, this to win the Nabisco Championship. You kind of have it in your head just winning tournaments and especially winning majors. But for sure you never know how it's going to happen, when it's going to happen. It was just a special gift. The surprise is being No. 1 before winning that trophy. Q. Which of the four majors would be your best chance of winning, which golf course, which major do you think is best for you? LORENA OCHOA: You know, I believe I can win any of them. But for sure the Nabisco is one of the majors that I enjoy the most. It's just close to home. It's a lot of tradition for my family, my relatives, my friends to go and watch me play. It's a beautiful golf course. I played there three times before being a member of the LPGA. They gave me sponsor's exemption. I have good memories in that golf course. Q. You became No. 1 when Annika wasn't playing. She was injured. Is it important for you that she come back and play so that you can compete head-to-head? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, of course. It was just something that it happened that way. We didn't plan it. She got injured. I hope she's doing better and ready to get back and start playing. But it doesn't mean anything one week. I've been playing five years with her, next to her, tournament to tournament. It doesn't mean anything that just that one week she didn't play. At the same time I do want to compete head-to-head. I'm training hard. I'm ready to play. I think it's going to be fun to see what happens in the next few months. Q. You seem to be closer than ever to winning a major. The closer you get, does it make it that much harder? LORENA OCHOA: I don't think so, no. It is better for me. I think, like I say, I'm more prepared now. All the experience in majors makes the difference, just to play smart golf, have control on the things. I think the more chances I get, it's going to happen. I just need to be patient. I'm really ready to go. Q. Annika announced she will be ready to play the Ginn next week. You're looking forward to play against her. How do you think she will be after her injury? Do you think she will be fine? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I'm happy she's coming to the Ginn tournament and play. I think she will be ready to go. Annika is a competitor that doesn't like to lose. She always wants to give herself a chance to win. She's very tough. I'm expecting a strong player, really tough competition. I think it's going to be a week that I need to be there with my game and just at the top level and try hard to compete next to her. Q. Michelle Wie is going to be there as well. Any particular thoughts about that? LORENA OCHOA: No. I think it's great that she's back. I believe since she started playing, she's a great addition to the LPGA, just to be able to play, help create attention, more fans, more attention from sponsors and the media. It's good to have her back. I'm sure she's going to be ready because she didn't play in the last few tournaments. It will be good to have her back. Q. A lot was made in the last year or so of the young guns, the younger generation, the impact they have. Do you consider yourself part of that group? Will they be able to keep some of that momentum going that they started? LORENA OCHOA: I believe, yeah, I consider myself part of the young players. I'm not too old (laughter). It's just great to see. I think it's really amazing to see how good everybody's playing, all the different winners, how young all of us are. I think it's going to be just great to see what happens in the next couple years. I also want to say that my thinking or my advice is those players, some of them rush to turn professional. I think it's great to go to college, too. My advice is just to go to college, get a college degree, play a couple years, really enjoying the experience of playing in the college level. The LPGA is going to be here forever. That's my opinion. Q. Michelle is expected to play next week. Is there much of a buzz about her return to playing with the women? Does she have something to prove going into this year for her? LORENA OCHOA: I don't think so. I think you could ask her. We all as players understand how her life is, the tournaments she has been playing. We believe she belongs to play on the women's circuit. It's good to have her back. I know she's talented. I'm hundred percent sure she's going to be fine, play really good on the LPGA Tour. It's just a matter of time. Q. Would you like to see Michelle Wie out there full-time? What do you think that would add to the tour, having Michelle out there full-time? LORENA OCHOA: Again, I think only positive things for her and all of us. She needs to concentrate on women's golf. For us, it's going to be something good. Again, it's one of those young players that is really trying to raise the game. For sure she's very talented. It's going to be great to see her. I'm a little bit older, but I can't wait to be playing with her week by week and to see how it goes. Q. The two tournaments in Mexico, were you disappointed in not winning one or both of them? I know Meaghan Francella came out of the nowhere to win the MasterCard. Was that a surprise, her beating Sorenstam? LORENA OCHOA: She's not a surprise because she did really good on the futures tour. She's a player that has been strong. You can see her results are good week to week. It just means she's a top player. When you are a rookie, you beat Annika Sorenstam, it really says something. I think she's going to be a really good addition to the LPGA. You could see she's tough. She likes to win. I'm really happy with my results in Mexico. I did two top tens. I finished second in Morelia. I played really good on the weekend. Sometimes it's just not for you. But I think both tournaments were great tournaments that I really enjoyed playing in front of my people. Q. When you were growing up in Guadalajara, I know there wasn't much emphasis on golf in Mexico, but was Annika kind of a role model for you? LORENA OCHOA: No, I didn't know much about Annika. I grew up and my coach, we always talk about Nancy Lopez. She was a little bit older. That's the name that I always remember growing up. When I went to college, I have Annika as my role model. Q. The U.S. Women's Open, what do you know about Pine Needles? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I've been there. I watch Annika practicing. When she played in Pine Needles last time, I was the first alternate. I didn't make it to the tournament. I didn't get to play. I didn't get to play the golf course, to practice. But it's a beautiful setup. I know how tough the greens are, the shapes around the greens. I'm really excited to go. It's going to be a great tournament. I don't want to think too far ahead. I'm just trying to play week to week. When we get ready to play the Open, I'll be ready to play that week. Q. What part of your game do you think suits you to a U.S. Open-type of golf course? If there is a facet of your game? LORENA OCHOA: For sure my tee shots. I've been having good distance from the tee. I'm better compared to last year, accuracy. I'm hitting a lot of fairways. It's one of those tournaments you have to make sure you hit the fairways because things will be a lot easier. That will be key for that week. Q. 6th and 20th your last two U.S. Opens. Anything you learned from those, especially at Cherry Hills when you put yourself in a decent position to win and didn't quite get there? What did you learn from those last two Opens? LORENA OCHOA: I can say that I'm able to win the tournament. I've been there before. I'm more prepared this time. If I have a good chance on Sunday, I'm right there teeing off on 18, I think all the experience from years previous are going to really help me. That's my goal, just to have a chance to win the tournament, be in a good position on Sunday, give it a good try. DANA von LOUDA: Thank you, Lorena, for calling in. Enjoy your week at home. We'll see you next week at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika. LORENA OCHOA: Thank you, Dana. End of FastScripts |
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