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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 9, 2007

Lorena Ochoa

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

MIKE SCANLAN: Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1 player in the world right now, you were crowned No. 1 a few weeks ago when you were in México. You've got one win this season, seven Top 10's. Can you just talk about your year so far and where you feel you're at right now?
LORENA OCHOA: Hello. Yes, this has been a good time for me. I was at home when I received the news and it was very special to be able to share that with my family, and to play my first time as being No. 1 in México in my country.
It's hard traveling again and the last tournament was a good week. The course was playing tough. The scores were higher than I thought. I gave it a good try but I can't complain. I'm happy to -- I was able to finish in the top FIVE.
And now is a new week. I can only tell you that I've been close here many times in past years and also in the last few events, I finished second a couple of times. It would be a nice week to get that first place.

Q. Does it seem kind of strange to be No. 1 and Annika is not playing now; would that mean something to have her back or how much would it mean to have her back?
LORENA OCHOA: We all want her to be back. I want her to be back. I think it's always good to be playing at the same time as she's playing. I wish her the best. I really admire her and respect her a lot. Hopefully, I heard that she's coming back at South Carolina and we'll be out there and hopefully she's 100 percent ready to keep playing because for sure she's helped us to raise our game.

Q. Did you hear from her at all after you replaced her as the No. 1 player?
LORENA OCHOA: No.

Q. Did you expect to hear from her? Obviously she's trying to heel up.
LORENA OCHOA: She's always been very nice. Even last year after ADT she came up to me and said hi and congratulations for finishing No. 1 on the money play and on my good play in 2006.
I think it's all about respect and I'm sure when I see her in South Carolina she's going to be, you know, nice but at the same time, she's a tough player and she don't want to lose, so I understand the competition side.

Q. Do you think players look at you differently as the No. 1 player than they did when Annika had that long reign as No. 1?
LORENA OCHOA: I think it doesn't mean anything, you know, just one like, being No. 1. I think you just gain respect week-by-week and year-by-year.
I think since last year and the 2006 season, my name is something on the score board, and that's important. I'm also more confident and I know that my play, my game is on a better level and I just have matured more, also, inside the golf course, and all of those things really helps and makes a difference .

Q. You have been very good at this tournament. Is there something about this course that appeals to you or caters to your game?
LORENA OCHOA: I love the golf course, yeah. You know, some golf courses, they just suit your game, and this is one of them for me. I think I'm hitting the ball a little farther. I think that helps. I think that's a positive thing that sometimes makes things a lot easier.
And just I like the feeling. I have good memories, so it's good to have good memories in the past and feel comfortable on some of the holes. You know, I know I could birdie some of the tough holes and finishing out, 15, the par 5, making an eagle or birdie on that hole. I just feel comfortable on the course.
I think it's a four-day tournament and it's important to have a good start tomorrow, and we just go from there. But for sure, just take one day at a time.

Q. I think you're up to third now in average driving distance, how have you been able to increase your distance but still maintain your accuracy and how difficult is that to do?
LORENA OCHOA: I think it's all about just being strong in your core and getting a good balance. Sometimes when you exercise when you kind of like lift weights, you lose a little bit your balance.
It's hard to tell. I changed my driver. I thought the driver I used in 2006 was really good and I just thought it's going to be hard to change this one and I got a new driver from Ping, the Rapture, and I increased my distance and still was able to hit it pretty straight. So I didn't doubt and I just changed it. It's a good change and it's working good. I think those five, seven yards, it makes a big difference on the golf course.

Q. You talked about feeling pretty good when you're here. The near misses here, does that make you a little hungrier here or what feeling does that leave you, the fact that you've come close here?
LORENA OCHOA: Say again?

Q. What feeling does it give to you you've come close here but not actually win this tournament?
LORENA OCHOA: For sure, it makes me want to win the tournament even more and gives me extra motivation to know that I've been close a few times. I do want to win. It doesn't feel good being in second place, not two times, but three times, and hopefully this is the one.

Q. Is it better for the Tour to have a dominant player like Annika was or if you go on a roll like on Annika did, or to have many players, different winners every week, which is better for the Tour?
LORENA OCHOA: I think it just depends. I would like to win more than one week. (Laughter).
But I think it's good for the Tour for sure. You see new faces. The competition is tough. And that's the thing, maybe before maybe two or three players were just good possibilities to win and right now, you know, there are 20, 25, 30 players that just any week can play consistent and win the tournament.
So it's more excitement for the fans, for the TV and for the sponsors, and for sure it's helping our game to just, you know, raise the game.

Q. In what way has your game matured the most in the last couple of years?
LORENA OCHOA: I think you learn just to handle the situations better. You know, when you get under pressure and you're in tough situations, you made a mistake not to be too mad or too angry and just take it easy and be really positive about the next few holes.
Just the approach, the way you see the game, it changes, and you understand that you have so many weeks and play week-by-week and not be as hard on myself. I really try to learn from the bad things that happen to me and it helps. I do feel more comfortable, just when you get on 18th hole on Sunday and you have a chance to win the tournament, you are more prepared than before and that's always good to have more chances.

Q. Would you give us an update on the Ochoa Academies and how they are progressing?
LORENA OCHOA: They are doing good, thank you. We just have two right now. We have a chance to open the third one. We are in the process of teaching teachers, like making them understand the line we want them to follow.
We are just going to open the third one in the next few months in Monterrey, and another one in Guadalajara and that is the end of this year. We are going slowly, the two that we have right now we have great success. We have more than 80 boys from 12 and under. They sign in for classes for the year and they go two or three times in the afternoon, defending on, you know, what are they doing.
But it's just great to see the interest on the boys and on the parents helping them to learn the game, and its been great so far. Every time I go home, I make sure I take time to go and I spend time with them in the afternoon, give them a clinic or share with them a little bit of what I'm doing and try to motivate them.
So, we'll see. You know, hopefully it keeps going in the right way. We struggled with many different things. Like the golf courses, we are just right now finding them some partners that maybe they can play with them ones in the afternoon or late in the weekends. So we are looking at different options where we show them not only hitting balls on the range but also helping them with their game on the golf course so that they have a feel of the real thing.

Q. Karrie Webb was in here before and talking about how she had been No. 1 before and she's trying to get back to that point. She said she really appreciates what it takes to reach that point. Do you appreciate everything it's taken to get you to No. 1, or just it all happened so fast that you haven't quite sorted it yet?
LORENA OCHOA: It hasn't happened fast. I've been playing for five years. I do appreciate it. Things get harder and harder and also things going on outside the of the golf course, you have to make sure that really concentrating on your game and not get distracted and just do whatever you need to do with your practice and all of that.
So this is new for me, but I think I'm prepared because it didn't happen in one week or one month; I've been learning over the years. I've been wanting to be at the top for a while and I know it's going to be tough, so I'm going to do everything it takes and hopefully I can do that.

Q. Do you have to say "no" now to whatever, a lot of requests? Has that started now where people are asking a lot of your time?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think yes, it happened before and it will happen I think more with being in that No. 1 position. And I will always give time to the media and to my sponsors and the things, it's something, we're professionals and it also takes more time out of the golf course. But if you have your priorities and if you know the time that you need to rest and the time that you need to practice, I think you should be okay.
MIKE SCANLAN: Thanks, Lorena. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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