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RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN MEDIA CONFERENCEJuly 8, 2008Lorena OchoaDANA von LOUDA: I'd like to welcome everyone to our teleconference with Lorena Ochoa for the Ricoh Women's British Open. The Ricoh Women's British Open begins on Thursday, July 31st. That is the first round, with the final round on Sunday, August 3rd. First round is on TNT from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. eastern; second round on TNT, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. eastern; third and final rounds will be on ABC, third round 1:30 to 3:30 eastern and the final round will be on ABC, Sunday August 3rd from 1:00 to 3:00 eastern. The purse is $2.1 million, and we'd like to go ahead and introduce Lorena. Lorena, this year you've had obviously a very successful year. You've had six victories, over $2 million in season earnings and you won your second major championship earlier this year at Kraft Nabisco. Last year you won your first major championship at the Ricoh Women's British Open. If you could open up by talking about your feelings entering the Ricoh Women's British Open as defending champion. LORENA OCHOA: Hello, everybody. Thank you for having me. For sure this has been a great year so far. I'm enjoying myself a lot, and the way I started was fantastic, and I want to continue that. The last few weeks I didn't play the way I wanted to play, but I'm doing okay. Sometimes it's hard to do it every week, and now I'm here in Mexico taking some time off and resting a little bit, and I'll get my rhythm back and start playing good. I'm really excited to go over now to Europe and for sure now to defend my title at the Ricoh Women's British Open. I can only tell you that I'm very excited, very motivated, and I would love to repeat the title. DANA von LOUDA: Can you talk a little bit about the final round last year and your feelings when you won the title? LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, I think it's a little bit easier for me right now to really tell you how I felt. It was just too much going on during that time, a lot of emotions, and it was for sure a dream that I've had for so long. Not only me, but all the LPGA players all wanted to win. It's a special week, and it happened to me. It was for sure a blessing, and so many good things happened after that, so I guess for sure winning my first major and being in St. Andrews at the British Open, it will be for sure in my memory for a lifetime. Every time I have some time off, I try to get in the house and sit down with my family, and we repeat that Sunday round. It was amazing. It was very, very nice. DANA von LOUDA: Can you talk a little bit about the next couple weeks leading up to it? You're going to be home for a little while resting. Are you going to do anything different to prepare? LORENA OCHOA: Yes. Well, for sure I'm going to sit down with my coach and just talk to him and see what he thinks we need to work on and really be prepared and very focused on the next few weeks. What I'm going to do is also I need to go a little bit earlier to Europe to do things with my sponsor, with Lacoste and Rolex. We have a few days working with them. I'm really looking forward to it, going to Paris. And then I'm going to play Evian. I think it's good preparation for the British. I'm excited. I love to play tournaments over in Europe. I think going outside the States and being an international player, it just brings a great motivation. I love that. DANA von LOUDA: Thank you. We will now open it up for questions. Q. It seems like over the last couple years, all of the majors have either been won by you or a teenage kid. I'm wondering, the teenagers have won three of the last seven. Do you think that's just a fluke thing, or do you see that continuing? They seem to be pretty fearless. LORENA OCHOA: Well, I don't think it's a fluke at all. I think the competition is so good nowadays, and there are so many good young players, and it demonstrates they are prepared and they are coming and they are ready to play good, at a good level. I'm just glad that I won a couple of those majors. I'm not a teenager, but I sure would like to be in that position, winning tournaments. It just kind of shows how international, how global the Tour is and how many young players are playing at a great level right now. Q. Everything we read about you seems to depict a perfect person in many ways. Could you tell us, do you have any bad habits, and if so, what are they? LORENA OCHOA: (Laughing) No. I mean, I don't think I have like a really bad habit, but I'm a normal person. Sometimes I get lazy and sometimes I feel like, oh, my God, I don't want to wake up this early. I get a little bit disappointed and sometimes I'm down or I'm a little bit sad and I don't feel like going. But at the same time, I go through a lot of emotions. I'm just human, and there are a lot of things going on just every day. I think probably one of my weaknesses is eating. I love my desserts and I love to eat Mexican food and to eat a lot. Sometimes I cheat and just enjoy myself and eat. It's not really like a bad habit, but at the same time, there are things that we just need to do to enjoy life. Q. I guess there was a Spanish language magazine a few weeks back that had you on the cover, and I guess you must be becoming famous down there because they're starting to delve into your personal life and your new boyfriend. I'm wondering whether that's been an adjustment for you to have basically every element of your life professionally and personally being played out in the public like that? "Lorena in Love" I think was the headline. LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think for sure being an athlete, a public person, your personal life or your private life is a little bit at risk. That's the way it is. There's really nothing you can do sometimes. I always ask for a lot of respect in my private life and I will keep it that way, but at the same time, I have nothing to hide. I always say it's very important to keep a good balance and to have your sentimental side, and it's great to have a boyfriend and be happy and have plans for the future. And at the moment I'm very happy, but I will always keep my private life, try to stay away from the media and do it that way. Q. You can try. Not always successful on that front for the people that are in the limelight, I guess, as much as you are. It's almost impossible to keep your private life private unless you live in a castle like Tiger Woods. LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think I'm doing okay. Everything has been positive, and I understand that. I'm not one to cooperate. I'm not willing to show everything. But it's okay. I'm not mad; it didn't bother me. It's just I'll always try to keep it private as much as I can. Q. What are your thoughts about having a family down the road, or is that way too far out to begin thinking about now? LORENA OCHOA: Well, it is -- yeah, it will be a little bit farther down in my career, but I always mention this priority, and I would love to finish golf and start a family. I still want to play two more years and stay at the top. Maybe I'll let you know when it gets closer. Q. Talk about how difficult it is winning a Grand Slam, winning the four majors. I know there was a lot of talk about winning four majors and that you had your eye on all four. How difficult is that at the LPGA? LORENA OCHOA: Well, it was a tough week. I had a lot of emotions in me, and for sure I tried my best and I tried so hard and things didn't work my way. I gave myself a good chance is what is important. I guess those things are -- they only happen a few times in your life or in your career. Of course I was disappointed that I couldn't do it, that it was the end. But I'm going to make sure I start another run. That will be always in my mind. I'd love to win the four majors, the Grand Slam, and as of right now I just need to regroup and be patient and try to win the next major and then start from there. Q. What's it going to be like -- Annika is talking about retiring after this year. What's it going to be like next year without Annika as your fierce competitor? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think for sure, the first thing I want to say is that we'll miss her. Not only me, but I think we'll all miss her. She gave so much to the game and the LPGA that we'll be missing a big name. She was my motivation for many years, and right now that I'm at the top, I want to make sure that I look for motivation, and it's always very important to stay up there. But at the same time, I completely understand. I'm jealous; she's done everything and she's done, and now she's going to go and enjoy a different life, and I wish her the best. She's been so good, and I always wish her the best. Q. What are you working on in your game now since you were disappointed at the Open there? LORENA OCHOA: My short game. For sure I need to spend more time around the greens, especially with my putting. I didn't have my best week on the greens. I think more than anything, it was like a mental stage where I didn't feel very comfortable. The last few weeks I had been playing on and off and I didn't have the rhythm of playing for weeks in a row and getting back to the routine. What happened at the Open, it was just something that happened. I mean, I don't need to question myself too much. I'm not worried, it was just a bad week, and I'm willing to be 100 percent ready for the next tournament. Q. Talk about your exercise -- I know you work hard on the course, but off the course as far as I can recall, with your caddie lagging behind you, you run quite a bit. Do you have a weight program, as well, that you do on a regular basis? LORENA OCHOA: I mean, I'm very strict in the off-season. I think we all do it. Once the season starts, it's a little bit harder to do on the road. I try to do it at least three or four times a week, get a run and do some exercises, some stretching exercises and work with a medicine ball. But yeah, being in shape is for sure a priority, and I love to run, I love to stay in good condition. That really helps me game, my mental side and my strength, so I'm going to continue that. Q. I'm wondering, there's been so many different players that have won tournaments. Do you wish that there was maybe somebody on Tour that we do see, somebody on Tour sort of emerge as your rival, maybe somebody you keep seeing on Sundays? Would you like to see that? LORENA OCHOA: If I understood the question, it's if I'm looking for a name that is coming close. What was the question, I'm sorry? Q. We haven't really seen any one particular player emerge as sort of a rival to you. Do you think the Tour needs that? Would you want to see that kind of coming down the back nine every Sunday in tournaments or majors, having maybe somebody emerge as a rival? LORENA OCHOA: I think for sure there are a lot of players. For sure there is already a rivalry. Last year they created so much between Suzann Pettersen and me. This year, Yani Tseng, that won the LPGA Championship is playing so good and we see each other every weekend. And I think we don't need to worry. There will be always names, there will be always great players. I'm just glad that right now I'm right there. There will always be somebody behind, I'm not worried for that. The competition will always be there. Q. And also as a follow-up, when you talk about how you run, that's part of your workout regimen, Tiger suffered an injury last July after running. When you hear something like that, do you ever rethink how you're training, that you could suffer an injury like that off the course? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think it's a worry that we all have. You know, Tiger is a perfect example. He never stopped doing what he loved to do, all his activities outside of golf, and that's what I'm doing. When I have time off, I like to go water skiing, I like to go fishing, I like to go on the boat and spend time with my friends horseback riding and there is always chances of having an injury or having a problem, but that's life. I'm not going to stop doing the things I love to do. I always try to be very careful, but if something like that would happen, like Tiger, where he needs to sit and just maybe rest for a few months, I would take it, because I always try to do what I love to do. Q. You finished fourth in 2004 at Sunningdale. I wonder if you could just talk about the course and how it sets up for your game. LORENA OCHOA: You know, I love the course. I think in a way it's not a 100 percent links course. There are a few holes that have some trees up there. I love the style, that they have two par-5s. Like you said, I felt comfortable playing a few years before, and I liked the way I finished. I think I had a good chance to do it. I'd like to have a positive mindset because I was there before and I felt good, and I think I'm more prepared right now. I'm a better player. I think I handle things better, and hopefully that will help. It will be very important to get a good start at the tournament, just take advantage of the par-5s especially and get a good start and then just go from there. Q. Do you actually sit down and chart out the holes a bit with your coach and come in with a strategy? LORENA OCHOA: No, I do it with my caddie. We both go out there and practice and see how I'm hitting the ball, and then we'll go from there. He's pretty good. He's English, and he knows the links course, or those type of courses, with deep bunkers and big greens and we focus on the weather a little bit, and he helps me a lot. He has a really good feel for how I play, and I trust him a lot. Q. Is there anything you particularly look forward to about coming to Britain for this tournament? LORENA OCHOA: Well, everything, for sure, to defend my title. I think it will be amazing to repeat that. I'm trying to be 100 percent ready and give myself a chance on Sunday. I love going there. I really enjoy changing a little bit. I'm really looking forward to Indian food; I like Indian food. I have a few friends there; they live in London. They are going to come and watch me play, so we should have a few Mexicans cheering for me, so I'm excited for that. DANA von LOUDA: Thank you very much. Lorena, thank you very much for joining us, and best of luck defending your title. End of FastScripts |
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