RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Forget the approximately 100 friends and family that Lorena Ochoa had in her gallery at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
They’ll see her win plenty this year, possibly at all four majors.
The people she really had to win for this week were the five mariachis standing behind the 18th green. What would they have played had Ochoa slipped up Sunday and let Maria Hjorth or Seon Hwa Lee walk away with the title?
Ochoa visited members of the Mission Hills grounds crew Monday to thank them for their hard work. She helped them make scrambled eggs, and they promised the mariachis would be there for her Sunday.
“I said, ‘OK, I’m going to wait,’ ” Ochoa said. “But it was a good surprise, and they kept their promise.”
Ochoa kept up her part of the bargain, as well. She started the day with a one-shot lead, but made birdie on the first two holes as part of a bogey-free 67 and five-shot victory.
That theory that she couldn’t hold a slim lead on the final day of a major drowned somewhere in the lake surrounding the 18th green.
“You can say, for sure, I’m a better player right now and I have more control over things,” she said. “I feel more comfortable in certain situations. I like the way I feel right now when I’m playing the last round and the last nine holes. I have really changed and improved that way.”
Now that Ochoa has confidence in the clutch, the Grand Slam is in sight.
“I think it’s possible,” Annika Sorenstam said. “... Lorena is playing great golf.”
Ochoa has had several chances to win the Kraft, but couldn’t close the deal. When she finally made the long-awaited leap Sunday, 26 of her closest friends joined her in the lake. Then they doused their joys with a
gran fiesta and a healthy dose of tequila. All except Ochoa.
“Maybe it’s time to celebrate, and celebrate with all of the Mexicans, and they will drink a lot of tequila,” Ochoa said. “Not me. I need to be ready for next week.”
Passing on the Jose Cuervo and Coronas is part of the sacrifice it takes to be No. 1. It’s not the only one. Ochoa admitted after her victory that it’s tough sitting atop the world rankings.
“I don’t have the time I used to have when I’m at home, (with) my family, my friends to do fun things,” she said. “It’s a really big sacrifice.
“It took me five years to get to the top and really feel comfortable with the position. But it’s definitely tough, probably tougher than I thought, but it’s worth it. I’m going to enjoy my time at the top because it’s really been a blessing.”
But those sacrifices – the time spent with Rafael Alarcon shortening her swing, the extra sessions in the gym – have also given her a newfound confidence. It’s one thing for Tiger Woods to say the Grand Slam is “within reason” this year. You wouldn’t expect the same out of Ochoa, who’s known for her humility.
But her answer was firm and direct when she was asked if she thought she could sweep this year’s majors. “Yes,” she said.
Her mischievous smile and the sparkle in her eyes made no other words necessary. Next question.
“Who or what can stop Lorena Ochoa?”“I’d like to believe nothing and nobody,” Ochoa replied.
This is a new Lorena Ochoa, one who’s erased any hint of self doubt. Her words – and the mariachis’ songs – rang throughout the golf world Sunday, and will echo for the foreseeable future.
Posted: 4/7/2008
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