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ADT CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 4, 2008Lorena OchoaTHE MODERATOR: Lorena, you're our defending champion, if you want to just take a minute and say hello, and we'll take some questions. LORENA OCHOA: Yes, hello everybody, it's nice to be here on the phone. I'm in Guadalajara getting ready for my tournament, but we all know how important is the ADT, being the last tournament and being so exciting, so I'm just trying to get myself prepared. It's been very nice to be home for the last three weeks. I rested a little bit and I've been training hard with my coach, and I'm very excited to finish strong. We have two big tournaments coming, and I can't wait to be there and do my best. Q. I just want to know, how do you go into the ADT with the mind-set of defending when you have the three cuts that you have to deal with during the week? LORENA OCHOA: I'm sorry, can you please repeat that? Q. How do you go into mind-set of defending the ADT Championship when you have three cuts that you have to deal with during the week; do you take it round-by-round? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think, you know, like any other tournament, I just try not to put any pressure on myself and just try to play one day at a time and get myself an opportunity on Sunday. It's the same for everybody. We have to play good the first three days to qualify. What I like is that you need to be consistent. You need to prepare yourself. You don't need to do something crazy and shoot 65 to make it to the next round. It's just a matter of being consistent and being very smart and making the right decisions. That's how I'm going to do it, just one day at a time and my goal is to give myself a chance on Sunday and trying to defend my title should be fun. Q. This will be Annika's last tournament as a pro here in the U.S. We know and we have a feeling of what that week will be like for her. It will be an emotional week for her. Will that be a different week for you, as well, in the sense of, you know, you, too, have been right at the top of this game for a long time. Will you be a little bit sad to see that competition between you and Annika end? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think so. Even during this year and the last few months, I've been sentimental and just thinking of how overwhelmed she must feel and how sentimental that it is with the pressure and the adrenaline and all of the emotions going on. Sometimes you just kind of try to take a couple of minutes to think of her situation, and I can't believe how tough it is. Again, it's great to have her and you know, once I'm out there and I'm playing with her or next to her, I'm going to try and enjoy as much as I can, because we know it's the last chance we will have, and we wish her the best, always. Q. And about this tournament, I know you were asked a similar question earlier; because of the format, because of the three cuts along the way, do you find that your game is more aggressive maybe in the first round than it would be normally? Do you find that you're going for more; that you're trying to make more birdies and that sort of thing, just because of the format, or do you not try to change your game much at all? LORENA OCHOA: No, I do the opposite. Like I said, you don't need to do anything crazy and make seven birdies on Thursday. It's just more about being mart and being consistent. So I'll just try to relax and take it easy and play three solid rounds the first three days. Of course, you never know how it's going to be and what's going to happen. The competition, tournaments are very tough, but I don't think you need to push yourself too hard in the first three rounds. It's just more of being consistent. Q. One more question on Annika, if I may. As you were coming up the ranks, even in your college days, I suppose when was when Annika really started becoming dominant. How did you view her, and has your impression of her changed since you've had a chance to play alongside her and compete with her at the very top level these last few years? LORENA OCHOA: No, no, I think a lot of things are impressive. Outside of the golf course, people just have different ways of living life. But I've always respected very much especially what Annika has done inside the golf course. You know, always very proper and always very respectful, very competitive, you know, and very professional and always help all of the players and just very thankful of what she has become and is part of the LPGA. That's what I saw since the beginning and nothing has changed. She's been a professional since day No. 1, and we respect that a lot. Q. And also, I'm wondering how you would characterize your season. You had such a great start and then you had the situation in late spring where you had the deaths of your family members, and since then it seems like you've played okay, but the trophies haven't been there. How would you characterize the way it's gone? LORENA OCHOA: Well, it's been a fantastic year, I can't complain. I've already won seven tournaments, and that means a lot. More because I went through some tough times, and I think the harder is the better because you learn, and I've learned a lot this year so far. We still have a couple more to go, but for sure I've been stronger this year. I think that it has been a better year than last year, because a lot of things have happened and it's been more like an up-and-down year, and you learn a lot from that. So it's been a challenge but it's been great and I'm enjoying myself a lot, and I want to make sure I keep improving to have a more consistent 2009. Q. Another Annika question, if you don't mind. She has a number of business interests, and I'm curious, can she open doors for other LPGA players as business women and kind of reminds define what happens to LPGA stars in their retirement; is that something you're curious and following as her continues in a new direction? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think that as strong she is, she's been a role model, and all of the opportunities she has, she's done a great job. Yes, it's not only about playing golf and winning tournaments. We all can become great teaching professionals or building the golf with different academies and creating great women players. In my case, I already have a golf academy. I've been having that for a few years now and I have a foundation, and I'm busy, also, outside the golf course. So I think that I have that part taken care of. And of course I don't dedicate enough time because right now, I'm busy playing golf because that is my priority. And I'm getting things ready because in the future I want to be busy and I want to make a change in people's lives and help them as much as I can. Q. Another question. Annika has stated in her past her desire to have a family, and obviously it's difficult for a woman professional golfer than a male professional golfer, and being at the top of your game and also having a family, is that something that you can relate to with Annika? LORENA OCHOA: I think, you know, fortunately, Annika has been playing for many years, and I don't think I'm going to play for that long. Yes, having a family is one of my priorities, and that's why I don't want to play golf forever, and then start a family. Yes, that's one of the things I would love to be able to do and that I need to do to be complete as a woman, and I have that in the top of my head. Q. Just one last question, do you have any idea how long is long enough for you? LORENA OCHOA: No, I don't have a date. You know, for sure I need to play a four more years to get into the Hall of Fame and play my ten years. You never know, it could be more; six, seven. I just know that I'm not going to be here forever. And when the right time comes, I will know. But I have a lot of golf left and I have a lot of dreams that I have want to achieve, and I'm going to keep going. Q. I also have an Annika-related question. Going back to when she played in the Colonial on the PGA Tour in 2003, which I believe was your rookie year, did you follow that? Did you have a chance to watch any of it when she played at Colonial, and if so, what were your memories of that watching her, or at least following her that week? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I did. I was at my house in Guadalajara in my TV room with my whole family. We were all pulling for her and we were very nervous for her. I was very shaky for her, I felt a lot of emotion and a lot of pressure, and we were pulling for her. I always admired how she made a great decision playing that, because we deserved it. She's the only player who has won so much and a great player that she dominated the LPGA a lot. I admired that decision a lot, and I think she did a great job. Golf-wise, I think she was so close to the cut and to really making an impact. Unfortunately it didn't happen but it was a great week for golf in general. Q. You answered both of my follow-ups in the original question; you're getting very good at this interview stuff. But I did want to ask you to elaborate a little bit about, you said that you were nervous. I can imagine that being the case, but can you tell me a little bit more, I mean, how did that nervousness manifest itself, how were you nervous? LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, before she teed off, I was nervous, like if I was playing myself, playing that tournament. You know, every time Annika would go through her routine, we're like: "Come on, you can do it! Come on, you can make it!" We were jumping on the coach and it was a great moment. You know, there was my dad, my mom, my brothers, and we were pulling for her, because we felt that we were so excited for her to have an opportunity to play with the men. It was a great experience and I will always remember that. Q. Speaking more about your season, your performance this season, at this point anybody can't reach you on the Player of the Year rankings, so it means that you've secured it for the third year in a row. But the LPGA Tour has more competitive players every year, and do you see that this season was especially more difficult for you? Did you have to do extra effort to reach your goals? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I always -- of course, the competition is getting very tough. There are so many good players, and they are getting good and they are just right up there behind me. I cannot rest and I cannot think that it will be easy to stay at the top. I will never do that. And I am always trying to be one step ahead because I work harder than anybody does in what I believe, and I'm just going to make sure I continue to do that because I want to stay at the top. I know every year will be harder and I know I can do it and I'm going to make sure I do everything it takes to stay at the top. Q. How is your short game; did you already recover enough confidence on it? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think especially on the putting green, I've been working a lot. I've been putting for a couple of hours every day and getting my confidence back. I think I'm ready to finish the year good and continue with those changes, so that it really makes a difference in 2009. Q. You have your own tournament next week that I'm sure you're busy with, and I believe earlier you spoke about trying to find the right balance for your golf, your foundation, your academy, your tournament. How have you been able to approach the idea of balancing everything and is it something that's come easily for you, or has it been a struggle? LORENA OCHOA: Well, the thing is, you think you've got it, and then something happens and you make some mistakes. Every year is so different that you just need to be prepared for the unexpected. You need to be prepared for new things, for new decisions, and there are tougher decisions every year. You need to learn to say no because you need more of your private time or you need to rest or you need to practice. I'm stilling learning. It's been okay and I think that's why I'm doing good, but at the same time, it's been a challenge, and I'm going to make sure that I make less mistakes next year. Q. Somebody, I'm sure there is, who is maybe your best advisor or somebody that you can lean on to try and help you in the decision-making process and how to say no and all of that? LORENA OCHOA: My support group. My coach and my manager and my family, they are always involved. I always keep it that way because that's a formula that's been working, and there is no reason to change. They are very important to me and we always do it together. Thank you everybody, see you soon. End of FastScripts |
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