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ADT CHAMPIONSHIPNovember 14, 2007Lorena OchoaWEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA PAM WARNER: We're joined by Lorena Ochoa and Chris Higgs, and Chris is just going to start by doing a quick overview of Lorena's tournament, and again we'll have her give us a comment on hosting her own tournament. CHRIS HIGGS: Good afternoon. As we announced this morning, we're very pleased at this time to go into some more detail about the new Lorena Ochoa Invitational presented by Banamex and Corona. The highlights of the tournament will be that it will be played the week of November 10 through 16. The tournament dates are November 13 to 16. It will be a 72-hole stroke play tournament with 36 players in the field competing for a million dollars in prize money at Lorena's home course the Guadalajara Country Club, where you grew up playing all of your golf. The tournament will be managed by her brother's company, Ochoa Sports Management. It will be the first tournament in Mexico that solely benefits the Lorena Ochoa Foundation, which we're very pleased that she and the tournament are doing this. This is a great move for the LPGA in Mexico for that to happen. The format for the event, as I said, it's a 72-hole stroke-play event, no cut. The field is 36 players comprised of five players directly from the Rolex Rankings, 26 players from the LPGA Money List, and then five invitations by Lorena and the tournament committee. It's a five-year relationship that we are starting with Ochoa Sports Management and Lorena, and as we said earlier, the tournament will be televised on U.S. cable television beginning in 2008. So without any further ado, I'm sure Lorena would love to offer you some comments about her new tournament and then the rest of her season. I'm going to actually exit to the side, and if you have additional questions I'll be happy to answer those, but I know you'd rather hear from Lorena. Thanks very much. LORENA OCHOA: Hello, hi, hola en Español. Chris, thank you very much, Carolyn, thank you very much. That's for sure the first thing I want to say, thank you to the LPGA for making this a dream come true for me. It's been wonderful to be able to play in Mexico. The two events in Morelia and Mexico City are good things, but I always thought going to Guadalajara would be the best place and something that I have a responsibility and an opportunity to because I felt so much support from my club, from people in Guadalajara and for the whole country, and just to know what it means to go back where I started and have the support of the LPGA and trusting that it's going to be an elite event that we believe is going to have a great success. We are not afraid because we feel a lot of support. We'd love to really give a special touch of treating the players the way that they should be treated, and especially me, be more personalized with them and making sure they have a great week in Guadalajara. What Chris said about the charity, helping the Lorena Ochoa Foundation, is something very important to me. As all of you know, my foundation -- I want to say it's my priority, but golf is for sure up there, but it's a great joy to be able to help those kids in Mexico, and we appreciate that support. We want to make sure it's a great week, that we get as many fans as we can, not only in relation with the tournament but activities outside the tournament that we can do during that week and just help more kids. That's my dream, to be able to help more kids every year. It's hard. It's made me so emotional, and I'm very excited to be able to just play at home with the best players in the world. We still have a long way to go a year from now, so it's going to be a long year and I need to be patient and work really hard and make sure I'm in my best condition and in great shape to do my best and play over there. So thank you to the LPGA and all of you for your help. It is a dream come true. Q. Do you think you'll find yourself being more wrapped up as a host or as a player at your tournament? LORENA OCHOA: As a host or as a player? In terms of how -- Q. What do you think it will be like that week? You're the host, it's your tournament. Do you think you'll be more worried about the tournament going off nicely or you trying to beat everybody's brains in? LORENA OCHOA: (Laughing) I think they both go together. I learned from my experiences in Mexico City and Morelia, I do worry about the little things that happen, if the food is good, if people are helping, the transportation. My brother always said, you concentrate on golf and I concentrate on that. So he's going to be pretty busy. But it's teamwork, and I'm going to make sure I talk to my friends and talk to the players and make sure they are doing fine. It's going to be something -- I don't want to say hard, I would just love to do it, to welcome them, to treat them -- make them feel special and make them feel that they are playing at home. Q. A question about this week. Could you just talk about the last three holes here, Trump International, how difficult they are, and for you is there one that's any more difficult than the others? LORENA OCHOA: They are pretty tough. On Monday when we were practicing, we took our time, hit five, six balls on every hole, to different areas of the greens. For sure they are the most challenging three finishing holes. I think there is going to be a lot of excitement. The good thing is I have made a few pars and a few birdies so I have confidence in those last three holes. You know, I think it's the same for everybody, so just be positive about it and try to enjoy them as much as you can. Q. What do you think of the changes this year to the format, to start over on Saturday and you can almost pick your partner if you want on Sunday? LORENA OCHOA: I like it. You know, I think every time you have an opportunity to play a tournament and to win $1 million and just to be part of this exciting week, it's great. I agree with the decisions being in our hands sometimes. It's great. We qualified, we're already here, now it's the same for everybody. I'm going to play well the first two days. You don't need to go too low or too crazy. Hopefully I save my low round for the weekend. Q. Having your own tournament in Mexico combined with the success you're having, are you starting to see you having an impact on golf in general? Are you starting to see a knock-down effect there? LORENA OCHOA: Yes. That's probably the number one reason why we're able to play in Guadalajara, for all the support and all the impact that the LPGA is doing, not in Guadalajara but in Mexico, in the whole country. That's why we trust that it's going to be good. I think it will be like the best case because now they can really see life just right there -- you know, go to the course and see the place, and I think it's going to be a greater change after the tournament in Guadalajara, getting more fans and more girls trying to become professional. Q. On that last point, are you starting to see people coming through these last couple of years from Mexico, new players? LORENA OCHOA: New players? Yes, next year we have one here for sure, there is one playing Q-school and there are a few others playing college level. Before me it was only two other players, and now there are like 10, 15 other players in college, so they are coming. Q. How would you grade your year? And who do you think had a better year, you or Tiger? LORENA OCHOA: (Laughing) I saw something on TV where they were trying to compare the two years. I'm okay with both being the same and both having a great year. I don't think it's who has a better one. Maybe next year I improve his year. But this year has been pretty similar, and I enjoy that they talk about it. It's been a good year in different ways, the wins but also so many positive things outside the golf course, too, and I really enjoyed this year. Q. So you? LORENA OCHOA: No. To be honest, he won seven times, a major, too. Me, too, so we are the same (smiling). Q. Karrie Webb and Annika were in here yesterday, no wins for them this year. How do you think they'll bounce back in 2008 and beyond? LORENA OCHOA: Karrie Webb and Annika? Well, for sure both are very competitive. I think very different situation, but they like to win. I think it's all about having a good off-season, just getting some breaks and having a good off-season, so the one that has the probably better off-season will be ready to have a great 2008. I don't like to think about other players, just try to concentrate on myself and make sure I stay one step ahead and work really hard. Annika is back. She seems healthy. Last week was the first tournament that she's back being 100 percent. She likes to win, so it's not going to be easy next year, not only talking about her or Suzann or Karrie or different players, but I'm really excited to see just how much we're pushing ourselves, and the level of golf is much better now for TV and every tournament. There's a lot of good discourse, and I'm just happy to be part of that, and I like to stay at the top, so I'm going to make sure I do whatever it takes to stay at the top. Q. If you remember from last year going into this tournament, was there a part of you that was worried that if the right person won this tournament you would not win the Money List? LORENA OCHOA: If I thought that last year? Q. Yeah, because there's a million dollars for first prize, and you had such a great year, that if Annika or someone, the right person had won, they could have passed you for one tournament. Would that bother you at all? LORENA OCHOA: No, because I think we all knew it was only one day, one tournament, one girl, a lot of money. I think to me it's just about being consistent all year. That's when it really shows who's the best player. I was pretty happy with my second place and giving myself a chance. For sure now I have an opportunity to make a really special year and breaking some numbers. I really want to win on Sunday. Q. You want to be the first with $4 million? LORENA OCHOA: Yes (laughter). Q. I wanted to ask you, too, what are you doing differently or better this year that you weren't last year? LORENA OCHOA: I think my driver was a great thing this year. I got a little bit more distance. Not much, maybe five, seven yards, but a lot is better. The rest I think is just more mental. I think I'm better under pressure, I feel more comfortable in tough situations. I understand my body a little bit better with the training and how far I hit the ball. I have a lot of faith in the game but also my name means something. When they see me on the scoreboard that's important, to try to put pressure on other players. But there's always room to improve. I'm doing not as good as I want in my putting, with my chipping, with the sand saves from the bunker, so there's room to improve. So I'm excited to get better and to have a better year next year. Q. As I look at this, you're leading in seven of the ten most important statistic categories and you're tied for third in two of the others. Where exactly can you improve this year? LORENA OCHOA: On the putting. That's my number one worry right now. You know, I three-putt a few times every tournament, and I miss a few others. When I putt good, I have a good chance to win the tournament. I've been a bit inconsistent with the speed, especially with the long putts, so I'm going to spend more time on the putting green in the off-season, and I think if I improve that next year will be good. Q. Is tomorrow your birthday? LORENA OCHOA: Yes. Q. 26? LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh. Q. Do you feel like a veteran now? LORENA OCHOA: No. I feel that I'm part of the young players, but I'm not because I'm 26. No, not yet. I did some rookie mistakes this year. Q. How do you celebrate tomorrow? LORENA OCHOA: I think I will go out for dinner tonight with my family. My family is here. I have a nice late tee time tomorrow, so I think I'm going to do a nice dinner tonight and just probably take it a little bit more easier tomorrow. Q. What's the biggest goal you've ever set for yourself? LORENA OCHOA: The biggest goal? That's a tough question because I have many goals in different ways. Probably when I was 12, 13 when I told my coach that I wanted to be No. 1 in the world. And at that time with the way I was playing and being in Guadalajara, it was a little bit crazy to think that way. But I did it. It took me a long time, but I did it. Q. Why was it crazy, just because you were the only golfer in the area or because you weren't very good at the time? LORENA OCHOA: Sí, both. I was just little. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't really know how good was my level with other juniors in the world. But I knew that I wanted to play golf for the rest of my life and that I had to do things good. I wanted to be a perfectionist, so I asked my coach what I needed to do to become number one. We're not afraid of dreaming, and it was good to set some high goals. Q. Do you remember who was No. 1 in women's golf back then when you said that? Was it like Laura Davies, or did you pay much attention? LORENA OCHOA: No, I didn't pay much attention. I remember very much when Karrie won the British Open and was world No. 1 a couple times and then Annika went back and forth a couple years. My coach always talked about Nancy Lopez, even though she wasn't in her rise, in her prime years during those times. I admire her a lot, Nancy Lopez. Q. Just wondering what your impressions were of Donald Trump and his game today? LORENA OCHOA: What I think about Donald Trump's game today? He's good. He's good, better than I thought, to be honest. But I like very much his attitude. He's just very happy. He had a lot of excitement to be able to share the Pro-Am with us, and we talked a lot, also about what I do, how is my life, and the things he's doing right now. I really enjoyed my day. You know, he made me feel very comfortable and how much attention he pays that everything is good outside the ropes and the course details. He's for sure someone that I admire a lot. I appreciate, me and all the players, what he's doing for the game. Q. Did you talk about managing money or finances or anything since that's his specialty? LORENA OCHOA: No, we didn't. He asked me a few times, but uh-uh. Q. I wonder if you could talk about what it was like to start this year behind Annika, and she was kind of the target to try and get past Annika at No. 1, and by the end of the year it was more of you and Suzann. Has it been different to have the focus on two different sets of players? LORENA OCHOA: Yes and no, because I really don't pay much attention to things that aren't in my control, and you never know what's going to happen, you never know when you're going to win or when you're doing good or bad. You just kind of have this long-term goal of being No. 1 and staying at the top. And of course because of what happened to Annika, everybody is different, and Annika because of her condition with the back, we knew she was going to have a slow year. Right now I think what is going to be really exciting is to see next year how everything comes together. I think it's going to be a great year. Q. But when you're trying to get to the top, there's somebody there so you see who that is. When you get to the top do you bother looking behind you to see who's coming after you? LORENA OCHOA: No, I don't like to do that. I don't like to look back. Q. I know you don't like to, but do you? LORENA OCHOA: No, like -- I understand that every player is different, like I said. I think Suzann is having a great year, especially the last part of the year. And I'm more -- the way I played at the beginning of the year and middle of the year was very good to me. No, I mean, I don't think I really have an answer. It's just the way it is. There are so many weeks and so many tournaments. What I concentrate on next year is just to play maybe a few less tournaments and rest a little bit more, and I think I will be able to perform better that way. Q. With the five exemptions or five special invitations, will there be any effort to give those to any Mexican players? LORENA OCHOA: Mm-hmm, for sure. We haven't decided one or two Mexican players. We want to do also like a qualifier, a very strong qualifier, to make sure that the best one deserves the position. And there are also other players on the LPGA that I would love to have. For example, Nancy Lopez, I would love to have her. So we have a few players in mind that we would love to invite. We just want to wait to see how the year goes and go from there. End of FastScripts |
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