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MCDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLAJune 3, 2008Lorena OchoaHAVRE DE GRACE, MARYLAND MIKE SCANLAN: Lorena, welcome to Bulle Rock. Going for two majors in a row. I know we missed you last week, if you would just talk about being here at Maryland and what you think your chances are this week. LORENA OCHOA: Yes, hello, everybody. I'm just happy to be here. I got here yesterday. I came straight to the course and played the back nine and did some practice. The course is in great shape. I think the fairways are a little bit high right now because they had rain in the last week, but it looks beautiful. The greens under great shape. I think the rough looks high, and I heard that they are not going to cut it, so it's going to get a lot higher. So I think it's going to be a good challenge for a major championship and that's the way it should be. I hit the ball good yesterday and today. I feel that my game is solid and where I would like it to be. So I do like my chances. It's never easy and there's always so many good players and in a major championship, you have to be tough, but hopefully I can be there on Sunday and win the tournament. Q. Could you just talk about the trip home and the emotional week for you at home? LORENA OCHOA: I went home on Wednesday morning. I decided to withdraw from Annika's tournament. Unfortunately my uncle passed away Wednesday morning. I didn't get a chance to see him. But it was nice to be home for my dad and with my whole family and my relatives. We are a very close family. Of course, it was very tough, but in a way, I feel, you know, at peace and I spent time with them. Now, you know, here I am back, and I'm very motivated. I really want to play good, and in a way, it was good to have a little bit of a break and just relax and get away from golf a little bit and try and see everything in a positive way and you know, be ready tomorrow, and on Thursday, 100%. Q. What did he die of? LORENA OCHOA: It's my father's brother, his name was Pedro, and he had a stroke on Sunday night and they took him to the hospital and did surgery on the brain and everything, and it went fine, but they said that he had leukemia and he was already in a very advanced stage. They explained how he didn't have problems before, just he died Wednesday morning, he was very weak. Q. Was he in Palm Springs to see you win? LORENA OCHOA: No. Q. Can I ask you, at Kraft Nabisco when we asked you if you thought a Grand Slam was possible, your answer was yes. How do you feel now? Do you still think that way? Has anything changed in your mind in terms of being able to do that this year? LORENA OCHOA: No, it's still in my mind. I think the same way. Of course, I think it's possible, and I have it in my head, you know, those things only happen a few times in your career and here I am and I'm going to make sure I give it a good try. I don't want to put any extra pressure on myself and I don't want to talk too much about it. I'm just going to take it easy like any other tournament like I always do. If I play like I can win, I'm going to be there on Thursday and just take it one day at a time and hopefully be in a good position on Sunday and go from there. Q. What is your motivation? LORENA OCHOA: My motivation? Q. For this week. LORENA OCHOA: I have many motivations. (Laughing). Q. What's your biggest motivation? LORENA OCHOA: I think for sure the Grand Slam. I think it's something very special. Not only it's been a great year but I really want to do that. I want to break a few records and I'm going to just keep doing the same, working hard to make sure that I continue in the next few tournaments. It's more important now for my family, I'd love to give them some joy, so I have many motivations. Q. You have been No. 1 obviously, and now after retiring, in many ways you are becoming the face of the LPGA. And with that comes a lot of off-the-course-responsibilities with sponsors and fans and of course, the media. How do you feel about that particular part of things? LORENA OCHOA: It's tough. It's very tough. (Chuckling). But it's part of the package. I always do it with a smile on my face and I think it's part of everything. If you want to win, there are a lot of things that come together. I'm just going to try to deal with things. It's a little bit harder, even more when I go to México. If I win on Sunday, it will be harder, too. (Laughing). But it's good; it's like paying taxes, you know. Hopefully you pay a lot of taxes. So it's something that I always try to be happy about it and do it. It's part of my job. Q. It's something that Annika had to grow into and she was not real comfortable with it at first. When you watch the way she did things, can you learn something from the way she approached that kind of role? LORENA OCHOA: Very much. I always admire here, and I said this many years, eight years ago; I look at her as a role model and I pay attention to the things -- to the way she handled things on and off the golf course. You must always have time to rest and have time to practice. You cannot get the time to practice because of doing other things, so if you need to practice for six hours, make sure you have them. We are here because we make putts and we make birdies, and that's the only way to do it. Q. When did it start getting tough? LORENA OCHOA: I think it's been a process, just like improving with my game, probably after the British. Because I won the British and then my brother keeps saying, "People are becoming crazy here in México." I was travelling and I went home after the British, and when I went home, it was a circus. It was hard. (Laughing). It's been good. It's been good. And the media has been really good, too. I want to say thank you for understanding what we can do and when we need private time and when we need rest. Here it's been, and in México it's been good, so it's been a good relationship. Q. Did it scare you at all? LORENA OCHOA: No, no. Q. The circus, I mean. LORENA OCHOA: No, no, I enjoy it. I guess I was expecting -- I don't know, I was prepared. It was okay. Q. Would you mind talking about someone else for just a moment -- I know we all want to know about you, but I'd like to have the opinion of the No. 1 player in the world on the growing success of the South Korean women on this tour. You've had a wonderful start to the season but every time I look at the Top-10, there's somebody there from South Korea. Can you give me your evaluation of the South Korean players? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I'm surprised they haven't won -- I think Seon Hwa Lee won on Sunday. We are surprised, there are so many up there, and last year and this year, so many of them in the winner's circle. You know, for sure, the way they practice, the way they just give up everything. They only see golf and it's the only thing they think is golf. That makes a really big difference. And they are very talented and they work at it, for sure. I think it's better now that they come to the States longer and they learn English and learn how to socialize and be with other players. It's easier for them and for us, for the Tour, and the new generation, I think they are really blossoming. They are really happy and they seem like they get more comfortable speaking English. It's amazing how many of them they are. I don't see that in México happening; maybe three, four, five, but so many, it's very impressive, so I guess we've got to learn from them. Q. A lot of other players have talked about how your ability to close tournaments is really what impresses them most. What's the biggest difference this year going into Sunday's competition to have that confidence to finish out tournaments? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I think before, I had a lot of trouble with my swing getting under pressure. I used to hit some bad shots that put me in trouble, and I think I'm better on that and I have more control of my swing. I don't have those bad shots, especially when I'm under pressure of closing a tournament on a Sunday. And with that, I see a lot better results, and I feel more comfortable. You just learn to be in that position. I think it's all about the experience, and you need to do it by playing. You don't learn that outside. So that's what I'm trying to do is to get better and better and I feel more comfortable in the last group. You can always learn and improve. Q. Annika said over the years that she was surprised at how much success she's had. Were you at all surprised at the success once it started coming? LORENA OCHOA: Am I surprised at my success? No, I'm not surprised, because you know, I really do believe that I could be here and I have a lot of faith. That's why I work so hard. Maybe when I was 12, 13, and I made the decision that I wanted to be the best; since that day, that's all I'm doing. But still, it's a funny process. When I first started college, you think like, oh, there's so many players in golf and you come to the tour and you think, when am I going to win my first tournament, the competition is so tough, and then these things started happening. Now I'm thinking the same thing, how am I going to win so many tournaments -- 71, it looks like so far, there's been so many. In a way, you don't even think too far ahead. Just have some goals for this year, have some solid goals in the short term and then just play one round at a time. Maybe playing one round at a time, I'll win more than 72. So I just try to think on my short-term goals and just concentrate on that. Q. You said when you were 12 or 13 that you decided you to wanted to be a golfer, or the best golfer? LORENA OCHOA: The best. Q. Was there something that happened, somebody you watched? LORENA OCHOA: No. I lost a few tournaments, and I didn't like the feeling of losing, and I told my coach, I wanted to prove that I wanted to be the best and what do I need to do, and we started there. Then I went to college in the States and then we started working on the things I needed to do to become the best. And that's Rafael, he is still my coach, we both agree, we are both willing to do whatever it takes to be the best, and he's with me all the time. Q. What was the reaction that Annika is retiring? LORENA OCHOA: I think like everybody else, for me it was a surprise, but in a way, the week that it happened, how she decided to do it at Sybase and so quick, I thought it would be maybe later on, end of the year at a different tournament. But she's always done everything on her terms. She decided and she did it and we all support her. I will miss her a lot, and she will be missed but me personally, I will miss her a lot. She was my motivation for many years, and I learned so much from her. I think we have great times together playing, and at the same time, I wish she would stay a little longer to enjoy her more. But I completely understand her decision, and I wish her the best. You know, it's time for her, she has to move on and have a family; and I will do that when it's my time, so I wish her the best. Q. Do you look forward to the next few months competing against her? LORENA OCHOA: Very much. You say me, but I think a lot of us are going to try to enjoy her as much as we can to really make each tournament a special one, having her next to us. And my goal is still the same. I want to finish No. 1. So I think that it will be fun, the competition, and to see what happens. Q. Did you learn from her just by watching, or did you talk to her about things? Did you ask her about the way she approached things or is it just through what you've observed? LORENA OCHOA: When I was in college, I always saw her records and the way she played and the way she practiced, and I used to ask her everything. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to follow her steps. When I turned professional, I gave her a phone call to see the things I needed to do, give me advice and she was very helpful. Actually, you know, Terry, he helped me find my caddie. She's always been a good friend and I've always had a lot of respect, we respect each other a lot. Of course, it's competition, it separates the things that you do, but you know, I can only say thank you to all of the things she gave me. I learned a lot from her. Q. The British and Nabisco, big wins in big majors, but when you look back, how important was that win at Samsung when it was just you and Annika? LORENA OCHOA: I think pretty high. I don't want to say it's the best one, it's hard to compare to a major, but that was the first time I had like a head-to-head with Annika. I was down by two at the end of the day, and I won. I actually saw the video a couple of days ago at home, and that reminds me that that's the only time we were paired together on Sunday and I beat her for the first time, very special. Q. Why were you watching at home? LORENA OCHOA: We have a friend who gave us a few DVDs and it was one of them, it had the 18 holes. Q. Do you recall the first time you met Annika, and how did you feel; were you nervous? LORENA OCHOA: I was the lowest amateur at the Kraft Nabisco, and I can't remember the year and so I received the award on the 18th green and we took a picture with her and the whole family and we have in the TV room at home. I think that was the first time. Q. How did you feel? Were you nervous? Was it like meeting someone that was special that you looked up to? LORENA OCHOA: Very nervous, yes, I was. With Annika, you know, the way she is sometimes shy in a way, she's always been very nice to me and she always jokes with my dad. They are very friendly to each other, and from there, just started a relationship and it's been a very special one. Q. As you look down the road for the Grand Slam, which of the three majors is the most difficult for you, and why? LORENA OCHOA: I don't want to talk about that yet. I think this is the most important one, and I'm fortunate to be all in 100% thinking about this week. One at a time. I think it's not right to go too far ahead. This is where we are and I need to win this week to make it possible. Q. With so many prodigies the last few years, it's been difficult for some to sustain it; how do they get from where they are to where you are? LORENA OCHOA: I think as I've said before, can you not teach a player. Of course, we know you have to have a good work ethic and it's not by luck. You have to earn your place and the players are really working hard. Just experience of the just playing and playing and making mistakes and being in tournaments, being in trouble, shooting high scores and be aggressive and taking the bad times and just understanding that that's the way it is, being patient. One of the Mexican players that plays on the FUTURES Tour, we practice together and we said, there's no way that we can tell her, she needs to do it at every stage, so just stay patient and never stop dreaming. Q. You talked about before about the difference on Sundays and the confidence in your swing. How much of that was mechanical and how much was feel? LORENA OCHOA: Very much mechanical, maybe 95 percent. I've been always very easy, very brave and just don't even hesitate or have a second guess. I just go out. But the swing wasn't ready, and that's why I've been changing and moving around and I have a much better swing. Q. How would you describe the difference on Sunday when you're playing the same way? LORENA OCHOA: I don't swing different. Before I used to have a path on my backswing, it was across -- a big cross on the top and then coming inside, inside/outside and I used to get trapped with my legs and my hands too far behind, so I used to make big shots right-to-left and hit the ball behind. Now I have a much shorter backswing and always come in front of the ball so, I don't do that anymore. Q. Just curious, a question about the Korean thing, when you got to Arizona, how was your English? LORENA OCHOA: Very bad. My English, very bad. Q. How did you learn? LORENA OCHOA: Well, I just learned enough -- four times each. For example, I wanted to study psychology and I went into a few classes and I couldn't understand a word, so I have to change to PE and basketball. So I couldn't understand. (Laughter). I understood and I learned the class but my grammar, was zero. You need to have college grammar and vocabulary. You cannot turn in a paper and have three words. I could understand, but it frustrated me that my papers didn't make sense or my writing, I didn't have good grammar or vocabulary, and for college, you can't do that. Q. How proud are you of yourself for your English? LORENA OCHOA: I think it's so bad. I think everybody makes fun of me and they don't teach me. (Laughing). Dave, my caddie, he understands me even if I have like the wrong noun or if I do something bad, and I don't have a good vocabulary, either. Q. You've been in this room for 30 minutes -- LORENA OCHOA: I'm okay, but it's still -- I hate when I see mistakes and my grammar is bad. When I sent an e-mail today in English, it's like -- (giggling). I do so much from México and I do everything in Spanish, but it's hard to do both at the same time. Q. When you were able to win on a consistent basis on Sundays, how much were you aware that people who said you couldn't win on Sunday, were questioning whether you could close the door -- were you able to block that out and what people were saying about you as a potential champion? LORENA OCHOA: Of course I was aware, and I had a lot of people asking in the media. But it never bothers me. I'm the one that knew what was happening and knew what I am capable of doing. I guess in a way, I've been trained, because in México, I didn't have the best game when I first started winning and when I first started playing. Most of time, she would say like terrible second place, or second place, that's pretty good. So I was in a way just used to let those things go behind and just don't even bother. At the same time, I wanted to prove the opposite, you know so, it made me a better player. I always said, well, they are saying that because it's happening. Until I win a major, they have the right to say that. So that helped motivate me to change. MIKE SCANLAN: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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