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SEMGROUP CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY JOHN Q. HAMMONSApril 30, 2008Lorena OchoaBROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA MIKE SCANLAN: Welcome, Lorena, to the interview room. This is a pretty big week for you. You have the opportunity to win five tournaments, or five consecutive wins in tournaments participated. If you would, just start off by saying a little bit about that and how it makes you feel, if you have any extra pressure this week. LORENA OCHOA: Yes. Hello, everybody. Well, I guess, yes, it's a pretty big week. You know, I don't necessarily think of other things that can happen or breaking the records. I'm here and 100% ready. It was very nice going home last week and rest a little bit, and I feel good. I'm here because I believe I can win the tournament, and it'll be great to do it. So far, I have a good practice rounds and then finished the Pro-Am today. I think I have a good taste of the course and how the greens are playing, and I'm excited to tee off tomorrow. MIKE SCANLAN: You had planned that week off last week at the start of the season. Can you talk just about whether or not you feel refreshed now. Do you have a solid focus on this week? LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh, yes. Yeah, to me, last week, it was very important. I was very, very tired. Almost hard to tell you how tired. More in my head, more mentally tired. I go home, and I was very excited and happy. My friends and my family wanted to celebrate on Monday. I have a little adrenaline, but after Monday I was done. It took two, three days to relax. I thought I actually would practice, you know, starting on Wednesday, but I couldn't do it. I was too tired. I gave myself an extra day just to stay at the house and spend time with my family, just on the couch watching some movies. Then I go back to work on Thursday, and here I am. I think I'm ready. It was good what I did last week. MIKE SCANLAN: Questions. Q. Can you just talk about the run you're on? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think it's something that has been great. I'm enjoying very much every week. It's something that I expected to happen because I been working so hard. I was very patient, and it took me a few years to get here to this position. So at the same time, I think it's -- you know, it's crazy, because many things are happening: more attention with my sponsors, with the media, with the things I need to do outside of golf course. It's been fun. I'm trying to enjoy my moment. I have an opportunity to have a great season, and I'm going to, you know, just do whatever it takes to do that, to give myself a chance to do something special this year. So everything is going well so far. I'm going to try to maintain that and make sure I keep going with my practice and concentrate and focus on the things that I do to prepare myself to win some more tournaments. Q. You're starting to get compared to Tiger on the men's side. Earlier in the year he talked about the Grand Slam. What's your goal? I mean, do you expect to win every tournament when step on the course? LORENA OCHOA: Yes, that's why I play, you know. I would never play a tournament if I'm not ready to win. If I don't feel 100% I think it's better -- if you are feeling that way, it's just better to take a week off or do whatever you need to do to feel that way. I do play every tournament because I believe I can win, and that's always in my head. But at the same time, you need to take things a little bit easier and play one day at a time. It's more important to get a good start than thinking of winning the tournament. Tomorrow is going to be important. I'm going to try to get a good start. I'm going to try to make sure I'm in a good position for the weekend. Q. Winning five in a row, what would that do for you? LORENA OCHOA: A lot, but maybe I tell you on Sunday. Like I said, I don't think it's good to put too much pressure. I know that it's going to be something unique and special, and that's why I'm here. I believe in myself, I have faith, and I'm going to try 100% to do it. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: No, I don't think -- I think I'm prepared. I think I worked extremely hard in the off-season. I think I'm very well physically prepared. I think the mental side is a little bit tougher, but I think if you know what you need -- you know, I'm going to try to take a few more hours of rest. Try not to do too many things with activities outside of the golf course. So relax a little bit more. I'm going to be sure that I do what I need, you know, to be rested and get good practice so I can play good. Majors, they are coming. And, you know, of course having the opportunity to do the Grand Slam, that's in my head. I'm going to make sure I'm there 100%. Q. Getting back to the tournament at hand here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, you know that Oklahoma is known for the high winds. How is this going to affect your game? And how does this play towards your game? LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, I heard tomorrow we're supposed to have maybe worse conditions, you know, stronger winds. I'm already prepared for bad conditions, mentally prepared. I think the tougher, the better. It's a better challenge. It's the same conditions for everybody, so I cannot spend any time on things that I have no control over them. I'm just going to, you know, like always, be here and be ready and not to worry too much about the conditions. I don't think the scores are going to be very low with these conditions. But whatever it takes to win, you know, I'm going to try to do. Q. Do you feel unbeatable? LORENA OCHOA: That's a new word. I never heard that. Q. Do you feel like no one can beat you? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I believe I can beat everybody. I mean, you know, it's never too good to get too comfortable and think nobody can beat you. It's another thing to feel comfortable with your game. But there are so many good players and talented professionals that are close to me. Golf is a crazy game. Anything can happen any week. I just think that I could beat anybody, but also I'm always aware and alert. Q. You set a goal many years ago to be the best player in the world. You've arrived and done that. What drives you now that you've arrived? LORENA OCHOA: Well, to maintain myself in that position. I would like to stay there many years. You know, I do have many other goals. I think especially right now, a new season, I have an opportunity to have a great season doing something special because of the way I started. So I'm just going to take this one year at a time. Of course, I have many goals. I always will have them, because that's my motivation. That's the key. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh. No, both are great. You know, I have no complaints. This year I won by few shots. You can really see that you are out there and competing at a good level, you know, and that you should finish between first or second place. They help you a lot. On the other hand, being in tough situations, I think that's the only way to improve and to be a better player and be ready for tough situations. The feeling of making a birdie on the 18th green to win a tournament, you can't change that feeling. Actually, I never been in that position. I've never make a putt at 18th green to win a tournament. So, you know, we'll see when that moment comes, but I'm sure I'll be prepared. Q. You worked a lot in the off-season on your short game. Talk to me about Sky Caddie how that's helped your game. LORENA OCHOA: They've been a great addition. I use them and especially on the short game, you're right, what you're saying. You know, I can do so much precise, and I work really hard in the short game, probably an extra couple hours every day, especially from 60, 70 yards to 110 with my two wedges. You know, that helps a lot to make sure that I'm hitting the right distances, how much I carry each of my clubs, which is my best, where I feel more comfortable and where I have more chances to really make an up and down. It's a good result. This year has been good so far, and I want to continue that in practice. Q. What do you feel within the last year has happened to your game? Is there something specific that's happened and it's changed from being one of the best to being the best? LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh. Q. Something specifically that happened within the last year. LORENA OCHOA: No, I just -- it's just, you know, it's been just a process. You know, every year getting a little better and getting comfortable and getting stronger, having a better swing with more control and being better on the greens. You know, nothing happened in two weeks, three weeks, four months. It's been a process. It's just time. You know, you cannot buy time. It's just experience that you need to live, and that's why I'm a better player today, because of the all the experiences that I have before. This is my sixth year so far. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: Well, I'm always going to try to be ahead of other players, one step ahead. Like I said, you never know what's going to happen. Right now I'm healthy and strong and I'm just understanding my game better. But that will be my motivation: just to stay ahead of other players. I know it's something very hard to do, but I'm going to try to do it. Q. You just got off the course. LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh. Q. What challenge do you see coming in this week that could possibly keep you on top? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I never -- you know, I'm always there, when I tee off, 100% ready. And I never, of course, think on challenges or things that are going to make me make mistakes. I think that would be the wrong perspective. I love the wind if that's the way I wake up. I love the cold weather if it's cold. If it rains, I love the rain, you know. Just be happy with what we have. I don't complain. Q. Juli Inkster said earlier today it's wonderful what you've done for the game. Can you appreciate what she's done for the game? Is she kind of a role model at all? LORENA OCHOA: Very much. I admire her a lot, and I want to be like her, you know, when I grow up. I always tell her I want to be like her. She knows. Every time she speaks or say something about me I always go and say, Juli, you say something nice about me. She's been always just a friend, you know, more important. I actually always ask her for advice either with my caddie, with my coach, with my manager, the things that I should do outside the course. She's been always a friend, so I appreciate that very much. Q. This year the tournament is a 72-hole event. Because of the extra round, do you and other players change your mindset with a four-day versus a three-day event? LORENA OCHOA: I think I like a four-day event better. I think it was a great thing to do, to change to four days. Gives us the opportunity to stay here and play a little bit longer and give them more to watch. For me, it's more comfortable having four days. I think it's important that you find a way to be consistent for four days. After the three days, gives you an extra day -- if you don't have a great round one of the days to recover and come back. I like four days events. Q. The past two years, in 54-hole events you seemed to get off to a struggling start. Couldn't get that groove going. With an extra 18 holes, will that be more beneficial to you now? LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh, yes. Q. Why? Besides the obvious. Do you feel like you can have that one round where you can just not have to go all out? LORENA OCHOA: Uh-huh, well, I think it's more about, you know, less mistakes that you make. And also talking about that first round, I think one that was one of my goals last year, to improve in that first round. So I make sure that I stay close to the leaders, if not win the tournament the first day, being four or five or six shots behind the leaders. And I improve that, especially at the end of the year I was better with my first rounds. Those are the things I'm trying to focus on this year. Get a good start. Like I said, tomorrow it's going to be important to get a good start. And then allow myself to be in the top the first couple days. Q. Your life from childhood to now, does it seem real or a fairytale? Have you exceeded your wildest expectation? LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, of course I believe I could do it, that's why I always train and work hard for my dreams. I do have more than I ever expected, and I feel that this is a blessing. Every day that I wake up it's really -- I feel very fortunate, and I wish this for everybody. But I do -- I knew, you know. And also, nobody is ahead of me. I still have many goals to achieve and many dreams to accomplish. I'm going to continue that. Uh-huh, thank you. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: No, we're not from the same town. We're both in Mexico and we know each other. I actually spend the afternoon yesterday with her. You know, she's doing great. I think she did at the end of last year and playing nationals, and then this year the way she's playing, getting the best athlete award in the school, the award. I'm following her. I'm always trying to help her. I think I be there's a friend. Yesterdays she's asking too many questions about turning professional, what she needs to do and where to start and the advice that I can give her. I think she's doing great. So far she has two more tournaments and the team to make it to nationals. I wish them the best. I think it's very important for her to finish her career. She has one more semester, so I recommend that, and then think about the professional life. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: It feels great. I believe there are a lot of talented girls in Mexico, and I believe they can be here in the future. Right now we have maybe six Mexicans on the Futures Tour. We have another girl, she's full exempt here on the LPGA. So, you know, I see in the next, two, three years a few Mexicans. That really make my happy. It will be great to see them. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: I think the foundation for sure. To be able to do the foundation and help those kids. Right now, my best -- what I always enjoy doing is going back and playing with the kids, maybe soccer or basketball one afternoon. They make you run a lot, but, you know, they have a great time, as well as me. They really make me happy. I see that everything is worth it, what we're doing with the foundation. That's been the greatest gift from God, just to be able to have the foundation and help others. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: In the off-season we spend every day together, you know, in January and February. And every time I go home. I saw him three days last week. Every time I go home he's there. He's waiting for me. He always arrange his schedule with my schedule. We first have a good talk to see what happened the last three weeks with me, how things are going, everything, and also outside the golf course. And I will see him. He comes not very often. I'm not a player that likes to make changes once the week start. So I think he was six tournaments last year with me. He went to Palm Springs. (Wind interference from the telephone). Whenever I need him it's just very easy. I just call him and I say, Help, and he will come the next day. We have a great relationship and we understand each other very well. It's easy to just pick up the phone and five minutes phone call and he understands very well. He gives me two, three different options and different tips, and I go out to the range and work on that. Usually it's easy. (Wind interference from the phone.) We just talk on the phone and fix that. MIKE SCANLAN: All right. New York, time for you. Q. My question is, you seem very at ease on the golf course, as if nothing bothers you. I'm wondering if you could describe your mental approach to the game and whether there are ever any self-doubts that creep in that you have to deal with and how hard you've worked on that aspect of your game? LORENA OCHOA: Well, the way I approach, you know, when I play, the mental side is -- first of all, I'm an aggressive player, and I need to understand that I'm going to make mistakes. But even if I get angry or frustrated I'm not too hard in the way of carrying over those bad feelings or talking bad to myself or feeling sorry for me. I make a mistake and I put it behind and in the trash. It was my fault and keep going. I move forward. The next hole I'm 100% ready to go. So I think that's something that took me a while to do. You know, of course I been learning in junior golf and in amateur. If I was angry I talk bad to myself. You know, if I did a double bogey and the next hole would be a triple. But I'm done with that. You cannot waste any time here. Of course, I been taking sessions with a sports psychologist. I think that's very important, back in Mexico, whenever you need help to go and look for help. It's always good to ask for some help. At the moment I'm doing good. I think I'm learning. I learned the tough way in many tournaments that make my cry and I really be upset. But here I am. I feel more prepared and I am more mature when I play golf. Q. Do you feel the mental side of your game has matured as much as the physical side? LORENA OCHOA: A lot more the mental side. I cannot change too much in the physical side. You know, I mean, I'm not too big. You know, for a golfer it's never too good to do a lot of the weights or get huge. But I think more important the mental side for sure. Q. You've now won 10 of your last 15 events, starting with the breakthrough British Open win last year. Was there a weight that was lifted mentally by finally winning a major? If so, was it maybe even greater than you anticipated? LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, it was a great experience. I don't think I enjoyed that week as much. You know, too much pressure. Finally the week after -- no, maybe three or four weeks after when I went home and sat on my couch and I put the tournament on TV, then I realized, Oh, finally I won my first major. One of the good things is that day the media stopped asking, When are you going to win your first major? So I'm done with that. I also knew that -- I was not worried. I knew that it would happen. Now that I look back, I see why it took me a while. Because it was worth it to wait and do it the special way in St. Andrews. I wouldn't change that moment for anything. I hope I have many more majors. Q. A question about the attention you get. While you're getting a lot, you only get a fraction, a little bit of what Tiger Woods gets. Does that bother you at all? Do you foresee a day when the women's game might get as much as the men's game? LORENA OCHOA: No. I'm very happy with the attention I get. Sometimes it's nice to hide, you know. I do get a lot of attention in Mexico, so in a way when I come here to the States and I play a tournament you can say that it's a little bit easier than being in Mexico. I understand the way men's golf is. Tiger is American and we're here in America. It's just two different worlds. I'm very happy and pleased with the attention I have from the media. It's always been great fun to work with them. Q. Does it ever make you smile when people talk about the Grand Slam and Tiger did not, of course, get the Masters. You hear in the media there will be no Grand Slam this year. Does that ever bother you, because of course you could win the Grand Slam? LORENA OCHOA: No. I mean, of course, I don't know what they are saying or they're trying to do. But in my case, I can only tell you that here I am. I do have the opportunity to win the Grand Slam. I'm going to, of course, using my head as my motivation. Compared to Tiger, he doesn't have the opportunity right now. I'm in a better position now, but I'm really happy. You know, and I'm not mad with anybody. I'm going to try to do it my way. Q. Just wanted to touch on your return to the Corning Classic next month. What do you remember about Corning, likes and dislikes, and what brought you back again this year? LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, I love Corning. I am sad that I'm not going. It's really hard for me to put that tournament in my schedule because of all the tournaments I have to attend and having the two tournaments in Mexico and the majors and defending the tournaments this year. I always remember it's a short course. A lot of fun trying to be aggressive, hitting drivers in some of them. You know, I just want to say hi to everybody in Corning. I want to try to make it there in the next couple years to go and say hi to all the fans. Q. So you won't be there then? LORENA OCHOA: I'm not going to be there. I'm sorry. Q. When Tiger did come out at the beginning of the season and said that the Grand Slam was possible -- and not even possible, but easily within reach -- did that surprise you at all that he was that bold? How did that make you feel about your own prospects of the women's Grand Slam? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I don't think we get surprised when Tiger -- we see him take care of himself. You know, I think, you know, they just put too much pressure on either Tiger or the Grand Slam or the way, you know -- or the possibility on winning the Grand Slam. I do have my opportunity, and that's because I been, you know, working hard and I been playing good. Of course, I believe I can do it. I'm not saying it's going to be easy. On the contrary, it's going to be very tough, but it's possible. I'm going to give myself a good chance. We have big tournaments before the LPGA Championship, so let's go one step at a time and first deal with what I have ahead of me. Then we talk about majors when the week of the LPGA Championship comes. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: Well, you know, I was very impressed when I went to the tournament in San Francisco and I saw the men play. I was very impressed not only from the gallery, but from how good they are. I saw all the fans just running behind the ball and trying to get the first seat or just in front of the rope. I could tell you that it's probably similar in Mexico. I never had that experience until this year in Morelia. I think there was more than 25,000 people on Sunday. If you think about it, all of them went and watch my group, so it's crazy. It was like a soccer stadium on the 18th. I never had that feeling before. It was very special. It was hard not to enjoy. You could hit the ball to the water and three-putt and they still enjoy. It was just unreal. So, yes, I only have two chances to play at home, and as well as the gallery. They only come and watch me two, three times a year. So it's a crazy experience. In a good way. Q. (No microphone.) LORENA OCHOA: I had a problem with my wrist when I was about 12, 13. I had tendonitis, and I thought that was like almost the end of my career. When you're 12 you're like, Oh, my God, I'm done. It's hard for you to see the future. I lost the first national in Mexico and I lost the UniWorld in San Diego. I had a pretty tough two years with that injury. That was probably the toughest time for me. MIKE SCANLAN: Lorena, thank you so much for coming in. Good luck this week. LORENA OCHOA: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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