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KIA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY J GOLF

March 24, 2010

Lorena Ochoa

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA

MICHAEL SCANLAN: Lorena, we would like to welcome you to the KIA Classic presented by J Golf. We have the replica of the Rolex Player of the Year trophy that you were given for the fourth time last night at the player party, so we want to congratulate you on four consecutive years. You're a four-time Vare Trophy winner and you're the current number one player in the Rolex rankings. Talk about being here in San Diego.
LORENA OCHOA: Thank you. Hello, everybody. Probably for sure I'm really happy to be here. I think, like everybody else so far, this be a wonderful week. I heard good things about the course, but it's another thing to come here and get to practice and see the real course.
I'm very impressed, I think it's a really good challenge. It will be a good test of golf having small fairways, small greens with high rough, so I think it should be a fun week. I can't wait to start tomorrow.
I didn't have the best two tournaments to start the year so I went home and continued with my practice, and I'm ready to start tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will stay as nice as it is and we will have four beautiful days.
MICHAEL SCANLAN: We have Michael Sprague, the V.P. from KIA in the back of the room. Talk about KIA's support and how meaningful it is to you being the number one player in the world.
LORENA OCHOA: For sure, on behalf of the LPGA and the players, thank you for the support. We were all excited when we heard the news that KIA was having a new tournament, and it's nice that the time is here and we're ready to play. So thank you, again, and we look forward to you supporting the tournament and to be here for many years.

Q. Talk about the golf course a little bit. Is there one thing about it that's particularly tough? Everybody talks about the small greens, but it's a pretty long golf course by LPGA standards as well. Is it all just tough or is there one part that's tougher for your game?
LORENA OCHOA: No, I think hopefully we will play good and everything will be under control. It gets real tough if you don't hit the ball good.
It's just -- you never know what it's going to be, if it's going to be 2-under or 12-under, depends on the fairways, if they get hard, or the greens if they get soft or bumpy. I can only say I'm feeling good and it's important to hit the fairways and put yourself in a good position and go from there.

Q. Congratulations on getting married; I know it was a little while ago. Can you talk about what married life has been like and the kids and how that's changed your life and golf schedule?
LORENA OCHOA: Thank you. My golf schedule is the same. I'm good. I'm now living in Mexico city, so that's been a change for me. I spent pretty much my first 28 years in Guadalajara, so that was a change for me and I did the off-season practicing in Mexico City, but I like it. I think it's important to be happy and, you know, I couldn't be happier, so I think all of those things help to play good golf.
I'm excited to start traveling and playing tournaments and get into a rhythm and feel better with my game, but everything is going well so far. Andres is coming on the weekend so he will be around, and I think we should all, like I said before, enjoy being here in San Diego.

Q. Will the kids travel with you at all to tournaments? And can you talk about that aspect of trying to help raise the kids?
LORENA OCHOA: Well, we're just starting. I can say that everything is going well, we're becoming friends, we know each other for the last two, three years we've been seeing each other, and they are learning golf, starting to play golf. They are thinking of coming next week, hopefully they can make it. We don't know.
We will go one step at a time, and we are starting with a right foot and hopefully continue in that direction.

Q. Lorena, your buddy, Christina Kim in her new book speculates that you may retire after the 2012 season because you'll have ten years on Tour, that you will want to have your own kids. How likely is it that you would retire sooner rather than later?
LORENA OCHOA: No, I don't have a date in my head. I always said I'll play for 10, 12 years, I never have a specific date in my head. I think what is important is that right now golf is my priority, and I'm trying to do my best. But I also said, you know, before I'll have -- I don't want to be playing and have kids at the same time, so when it's time to think about a family I will finish with my golf. I'll let you know. (Chuckles.)

Q. With having the family and having other things now in your life, are you practicing any less than you were before? If so, is that a challenge for you at all?
LORENA OCHOA: No. I'm practicing exactly the same. I think Andres understands very well, he supports me a lot and he knew that I spent a lot of time on the golf course and traveling and being away from home, so like I said when we have a family we have a deal that he will support me and I will spend many hours on the golf course. So far I did my practicing in Mexico City, like every other year working out a couple of hours and going to the range and to the course and spending the time that I need to get ready.
What was different for me was the altitude. Practicing in Mexico City confused me with the distances with my irons. I have a couple of factors, changing the ball and the clubs, and practicing there was a tough combination. I struggled the first couple of weeks to get the distance control right.
I spent time in Guadalajara the last few weeks and I feel better knowing how far, especially hitting the ball at sea level, so I think I'm getting there. I'm getting the right distance and I want to test that tomorrow.

Q. Did you notice differences right away when you got here? Because this is as close to sea level as you can get essentially.
LORENA OCHOA: I realized in Thailand and Singapore that I didn't have the right idea of the distances, but it took me a while to feel comfortable, and I think this week, like you say, being at sea level and especially not too windy, it's been beautiful the last two days, now I know for sure how far I'm hitting every club and I feel better.

Q. Now that you're living in Mexico City, you work out a lot, too. You must feel a difference with your work out schedule. How has that changed how you feel and do you feel stronger with that extra challenge?
LORENA OCHOA: That was why I got so confused, I didn't know if it was the workout or the altitude or the ball or the clubs! (Chuckles.) I'm feeling okay.
I do run in the off-season, but it's more weightlifting. I think I increase for sure, you know, four or five good hours with my irons, so I think it's a combination of everything.

Q. Could you talk about the way the schedule is working this year? Ai was just in here and said she is going to fill in some spots playing Japanese tournaments. Is that difficult to get your scheduling straight or feel like you're in the groove of playing well?
LORENA OCHOA: I never play more than 24 tournaments, and we have those tournaments, so I'm going to do the same, play the same amount of tournaments.

Q. What's your impression of the impact the new Commissioner has had thus far, and what has been your interaction with him and what do you think of him?
LORENA OCHOA: Thank you for asking. I think it's important for me and for all of the players to say thank you for being with us. I think we're all really happy from what we've seen so far.
I think he's trying -- one of the things that I noticed and I like is he's trying to understand the players, to ask and talk to us and to feel more like -- you know, our point of view, and then he is starting to make a few changes instead of jumping in right away and doing a lot of changes. I don't think that's -- so what I've seen so far I'm really happy.
I think we have a few good news with getting a new relationship with the sponsors; this is an example. Hopefully we will add a couple more new tournaments in the next couple of years. I think he has the right ideas. I can only say that we will support him in any way we can and be part of the Tour, and if ever he needs help he could come and ask. I think we're all willing to support and do as much as we can to keep it going in the right direction.

Q. Being so close to Mexico do you expect a lot of Mexican fans to come and cheer this week? And in a broader sense, what does it mean to you that you exposed golf to so many people in Mexico and Latin America? How does that make you feel?
LORENA OCHOA: I would like to invite the Mexicans to come and cheer for us during the weekend. I know that there are many Hispanics here and it always feels good to see a Mexican flag or to feel their support. That would be nice.
You know, I know for sure golf is growing a lot in Mexico and I'm trying to do as much as I can to help to be able to be a role model. We have an academy in Guadalajara that we're growing little by little, but hopefully we can help as many as we can. I think it's a good possibility to get them in the right direction and hopefully we will have more Mexican professionals in the future.

Q. We've got a pretty good Mexican baseball player, Adrian Gonzalez. Have you met him at all?
LORENA OCHOA: No, I never met him but Andres likes baseball, he talks about the players all the time, so it would be nice to meet him.

Q. The Padres are thinking about trading him, do you think they should keep him?
LORENA OCHOA: Hopefully yes, they keep him.

Q. Talking about the kids. Are you teaching them how to play golf?
LORENA OCHOA: We try to spend time. It's not fun to go to the range when I have time off. (Chuckles.) But especially Andres, the oldest, he is very talented, and he likes to hit the ball far, like any other kid, and I think he will be good. Nothing serious, just fun game for the weekends.

Q. What are their ages?
LORENA OCHOA: 14, 12, and 7.

Q. And for you what's the most rewarding part about helping parent with them and what's the most difficult part?
LORENA OCHOA: I don't like to talk much about my personal life, but the right idea is to be their friend. I'm not their mother; I'm just trying to support them in any way I can and just be there for them and to be their friend.
MICHAEL SCANLAN: Thank you, Lorena, and best of luck this week.
LORENA OCHOA: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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