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GINN CLUBS & RESORTS OPEN

April 26, 2006

Lorena Ochoa

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

PAM WARNER: Thank you for coming in and joining us today. You've had quite an early season so far with your win in Vegas. Your first tournament back, do you want to talk about being here at this new, premiere event.

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, thank you, one, I'm very excited to be here. Everybody has been talking about this tournament, and it's true, all what they say. It's a beautiful course. It's in great shape. The greens I think are going to be a big challenge, which should be fun.

I feel very good, I went home last week and spent some time with my family. The tournament in Vegas was a really special week for me and I spent some time practicing whatever I need to improve, working especially on my short game, so I feel good. I'm ready to go on and I'm just trying to do the same thing and, you know, take one day at a time and see what happens.

Q. You went to Mexico last week?

LORENA OCHOA: Mm hmm.

Q. Guadalajara?

LORENA OCHOA: Guadalajara, yes.

Q. The game you took to Vegas with you, were you satisfied with the way you were playing going into that tournament, and kind of take us through what winning that tournament meant to you after what happened to you earlier in the season.

LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, I've been playing very good. I have two really good chances to win a tournament, playing in that playoff. And after that tournament, Nabisco, I just tried to just get the good things from that and tried to be really positive and not being hard on myself. You know, I just felt really good with my game and happy. I know I can win any tournament I play.

After Nabisco, I was ready to win a tournament, he wanted to win so bad. I just went to Las Vegas really strong, positive, and it worked. I played very solid the whole week, and I'm really happy, that was a really not relief, but just a really special moment for me, because I had been working so hard, and I'm ready to go.

Q. It was almost like you had positive vibes from that tournament from the year before, because you had a close call the year before, after the first day, you had your A Game going, it's almost like that tournament itself came at the right time for you.

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I did play really good the year before. I knew that golf course. It was a short golf course and I've been hitting my driver good. It's all about short game and giving yourself lots of opportunities for birdie. That's what I did.

I also had my sister there that week and a lot of friends from home. It was a special week for me, when you have little extra things that work out and it was a really good finish.

Q. What were your goals heading into the year, and have they changed at all because you've been playing so well and are at the top of the Money List now?

LORENA OCHOA: No, same goals, and especially being right now at the top of the Money List is not going to change anything. I think what matters and what is important is who is on top of the list at the end of the season. I'm going to try not let that distract or get out focused. I'm going to try to do the same thing. I think it's really working, the same things I'm doing, spending a little more time, practicing especially on the short game and also doing exercise, work outs really strong not to get tired during the season. I'm going to do the same things that I've been doing. I don't want to even think about who is going to be No. 1. Just want to try to take one week at a time and I'm ready to win tournaments and I want to win tournaments. Hopefully, you know, it works out and I will have a good year this year.

Q. Inaudible?

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I'm very familiar. I'm going to try hard every day and hopefully they come.

Q. When you go back home, can you tell how much your popularity has grown?

LORENA OCHOA: It's hard for me to answer that. But I love to go home. Every time I go home, it just feels good to be over there with my friends and people are just waiting for me. They check my results in the newspaper or on the computer and it's always nice to go home. It gets a little more crazy when I went to Mexico City. I had to do some things related with work and TV. But I would never change home for anything. So hopefully, you know, I can go back home all the time all my life.

Q. What's it like playing here in Orlando, knowing that so LPGA players live here, like Annika Sorenstam plays here all the time, what's that like knowing that they have such a home course advantage?

LORENA OCHOA: I can't think about that. If you think that other players have an advantage over you I believe in my game. I have really good practice yesterday and today, so I'm ready to go.

Q. The greens are huge, right, and apparently if you hit the ball on the wrong place n on these greens, they are very penal; is that correct?

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think it's very key to be on the right side of the green. The ball breaks so much and the greens, especially, because of the speed. So, you know, we pretty much have to worry about the speed and to know which part on the green you want to be. Even though there are some pin placements that are going to be close to the edges, just play to a good area where I can have a good opportunity and have a good chance to putt uphill and not have so much break, that's a big key, and the speed. So right now, I'm to go out and practice long putts and get the speed of the greens.

Q. Have you seen enough of the golf course to have any rough idea what you think the winning score might be?

LORENA OCHOA: No, I'm not the type of player that thinks like in winning scores. I think the par 5s are reachable if you hit a good driver. I think the conditions will change if you have wind, especially in the afternoon. The last three were playing pretty tough and yesterday in the morning they were playing fairly easy. So it depends on the wind, and I would just say, take advantage of the par 5s, get some birdies and just go from there.

Q. It seems like the last three holes are all sort of difficult in their own right, you have a par 3, a par 4 and a par 5, and the 18th hole might be the hardest hole out there if you don't hit your drive in the right spot.

LORENA OCHOA: It is, it is a tough hole. I think it's very important to make birdie on 17, the par 5, but the harder it's more fun for everybody.

Q. What kind of company is Banamex?

LORENA OCHOA: It's a bank in Mexico, Banamex

End of FastScripts.

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