REUNION, Fla. – What’s the one thing that can stop Lorena Ochoa? A faulty alarm clock. Ochoa woke up at 6:59 a.m. Wednesday, and felt a rush of panic when she realized her pro-am tee time was in 16 minutes. Ochoa pulled into the clubhouse drive at 7:12 a.m. and threw the keys to the valet. Her caddie told her the shotgun start had been pushed to 7:30, and she rushed around to find her shoes.
“I left my purse in the car and gave them the keys,” Ochoa said. “They are probably halfway to Mexico by now, but I don’t care. I’m here.”
Ochoa could laugh about it by the 18th hole. But had she slept through that pro-am start she would’ve been forced to withdraw from the Ginn Open, according to LPGA rules.
Talk about a potential monumental letdown. Instead, Ochoa “shanked” it around the first five holes with her playing partners before officially waking up. Winning three consecutive tournaments in the span of three weeks must be exhausting. Better set two alarms at the rate she’s going.
Last year the Ginn Open had to make due without Annika Sorenstam, who was debuting her new Academy the Monday after the tournament. The timing could not have been worse for Sorenstam, who wound up wearing a neck brace around Reunion after suffering from ruptured and bulging discs in her back.
Thankfully (fingers crossed) this year’s Ginn will feature both Ochoa and Sorenstam, along with every other big name in women’s golf.
While Sorenstam’s healthy return is certainly noteworthy, Ochoa continues to be the headliner on tour each week. Eighteen of her 21 victories have come in the past 24 months.
“Definitely Tiger-esque,” said Kerr, who was paired with Ochoa in the final round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. “She’s creaming the field.”
Sorenstam must now concede she’s chasing Ochoa week in and week out. It’s a strange admission coming from the mouth of Ms. 59, but she’s not giving up.
“Inside of me I believe there’s still a way that I can beat her, and I’m just looking forward to this week,” Sorenstam said. “Here’s my chance, and if it doesn’t happen there’s next week. That’s what keeps me going.”
What a difference a year makes.
Last year at the Ginn Open, Ochoa played the final six holes 6 over par to shoot 77 and lose by one stroke. A victory would’ve given her the No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. This year she slaughters the competition on Sundays. She’s been No. 1 every week since.
Last year folks rooted hard for Ochoa to win one major, any major. This year fans are wondering if she can win all four.
With Ochoa, things seem to happen along a divine timeline. She really couldn’t script her career better if she tried. She became the No. 1 player in the world in Morelia last year on home soil. She won her first major championship, the Ricoh Women’s British Open, at the home of golf, becoming the first female professional to win at St. Andrews. And then last week, she earned her final point for the Hall of Fame in front of a fervent Mexican crowd, where it means the most.
Things tend to work out beautifully for this beautiful soul. Why shouldn’t we expect her to hold all four majors at the same time, or dare we say it, in the same calendar year? Tiger’s chances for the year died Sunday at the Masters. We now turn our attention south of the border.
“Of course my eyes are on that,” said Ochoa, of holding all four majors at the same time. “But I don’t want to put any other pressure, just play week by week and whenever it comes in June I’m going to be ready.”
No LPGA player has ever held all four majors at the same time. Pat Bradley came the closest, starting with the du Maurier Classic in 1985, then winning the 1986 Kraft Nabisco and McDonald’s Championship.
Ochoa, of course, currently holds the ’07 British and ’08 Kraft. Next up for her is the McDonald’s LPGA June 5-8, a tournament she’s finished inside the top 10 the last four years. That’s followed two weeks later by the U.S. Women’s Open at Interlachen, a course that should play right into Ochoa’s hands. When told the par-73 layout features five par 5s, Ochoa said, “Good news.”
“She’s incredibly long,” said Kerr of Ochoa, who leads the driving distance category on tour. “She decimates the par 5s.”
Kerr played with Ochoa in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, the last time Ochoa ran into a case of the “lefts” off the tee that cost her down the stretch. Kerr, of course, won that day in N.C. She saw a different look on the Mexican’s face two weeks ago in Rancho Mirage on another major Sunday.
“She came out with the attitude I’m going to ‘cream the field,’ instead of ‘If I play well, I’m going to win,’ ” said Kerr. “When good players get that kind of mindset and attitude, they are hard to beat.”
Ochoa hasn’t played Interlachen before, but her caddie, David Brooker, looped there for Carin Koch at the 2002 Solheim Cup.
“I think it always helps when you have a little bit of local knowledge,” Ochoa said. “He told me the same (about) St. Andrews and I won that, so hopefully the same happens at Interlachen.”
To complete the Grand Slam, Ochoa will need the stars to align at Sunningdale, a course she finished fourth on in 2004. It all comes down to how well she putts.
Ochoa jokingly told her pro-am group on the tee of a par-3 Wednesday that she would hit the green if they promised to make the putt. It reminded me of a scene at the Kraft Nabisco two weeks ago when swingcoach Rafael Alarcon stood by the 15th green watching Ochoa putt during the first round and said, “You’re going to see her miss some putts.”
I paused, waiting for some technical explanation from Ochoa’s longtime instructor. Some magical key to the week.
“Because she hits so many of them close to the hole,” Alarcon continued.
Make sense. Ochoa missed her share of birdie putts inside 10 feet at the Kraft and still lapped the field by five strokes. She’s hitting it that good.
Can Lorena win the Grand Slam this year?
“Why not?” said Alarcon after taking a dip in Champions Lake.
Talk about a wake-up call.
Posted: 4/16/2008
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