|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
SEMGROUP CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY JOHN Q. HAMMONSMay 3, 2007Lorena OchoaBROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA PAM WARNER: You're No. 1 now in the World Rankings and you finished second last week, just talk about being here in Tulsa this week. LORENA OCHOA: Hello. Actually this is a very nice week, a lot easier than last week being at home, just in different ways. But I want to say that receiving the news of being No. 1 in the World Ranking and being at home, it was very special. I was at the Guadalajara Country Club just practicing with my coach and friends when I received the phone call and then playing in Morelia, playing in my country for the first time it was very nice. It was almost like a gift. I really enjoyed playing last week. Now it's a completely different week, just a bit more relaxed and only a three-day tournament. So I am doing great. I'm really happy, very motivated and had a really good practice on Tuesday. I played a nice Pro-Am today and I can't wait to be here tomorrow. Q. Some of the distractions playing at home, we just had Stacy in here and she mentioned the distractions this week; just talk about how difficult it is playing at home? LORENA OCHOA: It is very hard. I think there's a lot of pressure involved and you do want to make sure you play good and it's like a very special and important week for you. But at the same time you just have to learn to enjoy it and not take it too seriously. Just be relaxed and play like it's any other week. They love you either way. The main point is just to support the game and I wish that Stacy had a good week. We are playing together tomorrow and it should be fun. I think she's going to do fine. Q. How does it feel to now have the target on you? Everybody wants to get to where you're at. LORENA OCHOA: I like it. I've wanted to be in this position for many years and it's been a long-time goal and finally I'm up there. So, you know, I'm prepared. I've been just preparing myself little by little every year and I think it's a great place to be. I want to be there, you know, for a long time. So I'm going to make sure I keep practicing hard and do the things in the right way. Q. You've had six Top-10s in seven starts. What's been the biggest reason for your success this year? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think, you know, you get more comfortable with your game. You learn and you get mature and especially just, you know, learning to sometimes not be too aggressive and you learn to save some shots out there. Last year in the 2006 season to me the most important thing was to be very consistent through the whole year. Every year if I don't have a chance to win the tournament, just make sure I finish in the Top-10. I'm not a player that is just going to give up the tournament. Sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's known to happen, but I think I should be able to finish on the Top-10, so I always try really, really hard on just making sure if I don't have a chance to win the tournament, finish in the Top-10, so at the end of the year I have all of the points I need to be at the top. Q. What are your impressions of the course now? Do you see any difference from September to May? LORENA OCHOA: I think so. I think especially with all of the rain, we're going to be able to go just right at it and be a little more aggressive. Last year it played a little bit different. We had high rough, which we don't have that now, and the greens were kind of hard and the wind, it played a big role. You have to give yourself some room to land it short of the pin, and the difference that I saw today just in every hole is just, you know, going right at it and even if you hit a 4-iron, it should stop pretty good. So I think, you know, when I see some low scores, I want to make sure that we get a good score tomorrow because the scores are going to be low. Q. You shot 10-under last year in three days. What is your target score for this weekend? LORENA OCHOA: I never really have a target. I think it's good if I said -- maybe tomorrow I say five and get to seven on the back nine and I kind of stay on my same routine and play my own game and give myself as many opportunities as I can for birdie. I want to be in good shape but I don't want to say for sure it could be more than 10-under for the three days. Q. Was there a different level of affection for you that you noticed last week with the moving up to No. 1? At home did the people seem to be more excited or did they seem to be more excited? LORENA OCHOA: It is but I think the same if I would be outside of the states or any other tournament by myself and getting that big news. My support group and my coach and my family and brother are a big part of that and in getting to that position. I think just being able to be at home where everything started and have a cake with my family, we all got together, it was just very nice. It was very sweet, and like I said, it was an honor to play my first tournament in México. Q. Preparing yourself little by little, has that been mentally or has it been a goal for a long time to be No. 1? LORENA OCHOA: It's begun a goal for many, many years. When I was 12, 13, I told my coach I wanted to be the best in the world and what do I need to do. So you go step-by-step and first make sure that you play college golf and first try really hard to get a scholarship and go to the USA and Tucson, I really loved Tucson. I had my coach and my teammates, everybody really helped me to become a better player. And, you know, the next step is turning professional. And when I first turned professional, they didn't understand, especially in México what it was about and how was the level and how tough the competition was. You know, I told them I wanted to be the best and they -- okay, they just want me to be the best in my rookie year. It's a long-time goal and it's going to take four or five years. I'm not in a hurry and it's not easy. It took them a long time to understand but I always had in my head that it would be some years to get there, and finally, it happened this season. So I've been preparing myself. It's not something that happened from a couple of months. In a way that's easier just to manage myself and be ready for the things that will come with this news. Q. Do you feel like you're representing your country every time you go out even in it's Tulsa, Oklahoma? LORENA OCHOA: Always, I think that's what gives me extra motivation to play good, not only for me but all of them. Q. I guess you see fellow Mexicans on the course wherever you go; they seem to follow you? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, there are Mexicans all over the place and this is especially, you know, a place where just right away, you see a lot of Mexican restaurants and just Hispanic people. I remember them from last year and a couple of years, hopefully you know, invite them to be back and maybe bring the Mexican flag and maybe watch me play a little on the weekend. Q. Now that you've reached No. 1, you're in Tulsa trying to show off your No. 1 status but Stacy P. is a local girl and No. 2 in points and right there on your heels; have you played with her much head-to-head? LORENA OCHOA: Many times. We grew up playing junior golf together in college. We played at the same time in Tucson in Arizona when she was playing with Manamara (ph) in Tulsa. We played pretty much every weekend in every finals together. She's very consistent and knows her game and she has a great feeling around the greens. You know, we enjoy to play together. I think it's good to be around here. I like that. Q. Do you feel like this is a tournament she can win? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, she can win any week. Actually last week, you know, they asked me in Morelia, who do you think will be there on the weekend and Stacy P. For sure will be a close contender. I think certain golf courses suit different players and she's a phenomenal player. She hits the ball very consistent and a tight golf course like this one is always good. Q. It would be a great accomplishment to be the 20th or 10th best player in the world, why was it important to you to be No. 1? LORENA OCHOA: I like to be the best. I don't like to lose. I don't like the feeling of second place. It really hurts when I don't win a tournament. It's just the way I grew up and sometimes I set high goals. But I want to make sure, you know, I try to push myself as hard as I can and to be the best, and you know, this is just I think another step. Nothing is done yet because the harder things are coming and it's more harder to maintain yourself in that position. There are so many good players coming behind and trying to get me at this moment, but I understand that, and, you know, I'm going to make sure I keep working hard and I want to see my name in that No. 1 position. Q. Are you amazed at how Morgan Pressel at age 18 is able to handle everything involved with professional golf? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I think golf is changing. It's a new era and there are younger players that are just more prepared. I do think that the best way to go is going to college, and then coming out here. I think that will help you a lot to just learn a lot inside and outside the golf course and to be more prepared. But, you know, it's just -- at 18, I was going away to college. It didn't even cross my mind turning professional. I understand that and she's a great player and winning that Nabisco tournament, it really shows how tough she is and how well she just handles everything that is going on. My recommendation for younger players is to go to college for sure. Q. Can you describe what the moment was like for you when the president presented you with a plague last week? What was that like? LORENA OCHOA: It was hard to describe. I think it was a great achievement, especially for the sport of golf in my country. Because now golf is a sport that they know and just to give -- the government to give importance to that is pretty big. You know, that's what I'm trying to do, just to make the sport more popular and get more fans and more little girls and boys to start the game. And that was a huge step. I truly believe he did it because he wanted to do it. I could tell that he's the -- the president is always paying attention on how athletes are doing and how important our image is and be someone that kids can follow and can follow our steps. It was amazing. That is going to be on the top of my trophies and I will always remember that as a very special memory. Q. Are you familiar with Eduardo -- he plays basketball? LORENA OCHOA: I heard his name but I don't really know him. Q. In Arkansas her starting a tournament; do you know if you are playing in that tournament? LORENA OCHOA: I think not, my brother is getting married in September so I will be busy helping my mom. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|