Lorena Ochoa

Childhood and amateur career

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Ochoa was the third of four children of a real estate developer and an artist. She took up golf at the age of five, won her first state event at the age of six, and her first national event at seven.

An 11-year-old Ochoa approached the professional Rafael Alarcón, 1979 winner of the Canadian Amateur Championship, as he worked on his game at Guadalajara Country Club, where her family lived near the 10th tee. She asked him if he would help her with her game. Alarcon asked her what her goal was, "She said she wanted to be the best player in the world."

As a junior, she captured 22 state events in Guadalajara and 44 national events in Mexico. She won five consecutive titles at the Junior World Golf Championships{{cite web | access-date = 27 April 2007 | archive-date = 17 December 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217075146/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1990 | url-status = dead | access-date = 27 April 2007 | archive-date = 17 December 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217075035/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1991 | url-status = dead | access-date = 27 April 2007 | archive-date = 30 April 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430000705/http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1992 | url-status = dead | access-date = 27 April 2007 | archive-date = 30 April 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430000710/http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1993 | url-status = dead | access-date = 27 April 2007 | archive-date = 30 April 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430000716/http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1994 | url-status = dead

She was very successful in women's collegiate golf in the next two years, winning the NCAA Player of the Year Awards for 2001 and 2002, finishing runner-up at both the 2001 and 2002 NCAA National Championship | access-date =6 October 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070417092602/http://www2.ncaa.org/portal/media_and_events/press_room/2006/may/20060505_25th_wgolf_rls.html | archive-date = 17 April 2007}} and being named to the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) 2001 All-America First team. |access-date = 28 April 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104205039/http://www.theacc.com/sports/w-golf/spec-rel/052901aaa.html |archive-date = 4 January 2013 |access-date=27 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155514/http://www.pac-10.org/sports/c-golf/spec-rel/042501aag.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead | access-date = 27 April 2007 | archive-date = 16 June 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070616121314/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pac10/sports/c-golf/auto_pdf/Pac-10WomensGolfRecords.pdf | url-status = dead

In her second year she had eight tournament wins in ten events she entered and set an NCAA record with seven consecutive victories in her first seven events. She won the Golfstat Cup in both 2001 and 2002. The Cup is given to the player who has the best scoring average versus par with at least 20 full rounds played during a season. | access-date =27 April 2007}} setting the single-season NCAA scoring average record as a freshman at 71.33 and beating her own record the next year by just over a stroke per round with a 70.13 average.

In November 2001, Ochoa was presented with Mexico's National Sports Award by Mexican President Vicente Fox. She was the youngest person and first golfer to receive Mexico's highest sporting accolade. In 2006, she was named NCAA Division I Women's Golf Most Outstanding Student Athlete, an award which was bestowed as part of the 25th Anniversary of Women's Championships celebration, taking into account outstanding performances over the past 25 years. She was the recipient of the 2003 Nancy Lopez Award, which is presented annually to the world's most outstanding female amateur golfer.

Nancy Lopez describes Ochoa off the golf course: "When you meet her for the second time [...] she remembers not only your name, but also the slightest detail from the last time you spoke."

Professional career

Ochoa left college after her second year to turn professional, then won three of ten events played on the 2002 Futures Tour, and topped its money list to earn membership on the LPGA Tour for the 2003 season. |access-date=27 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409095151/http://duramedfuturestour.com/News/SilverAnniversarySalute.html |archive-date=9 April 2007 |access-date = 24 May 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504071727/http://www.duramedfuturestour.com/TourAwards.asp |archive-date = 4 May 2008}}

In her rookie season on the LPGA Tour in 2003, she had eight top-10 finishes, including runner-up finishes at the Wegmans Rochester and Michelob Light Open at Kingsmill, ending the season as the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year |access-date=27 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629123417/http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?mid=2&pid=2501 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date = 28 April 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070810223934/http://www.lpga.com/content/2007PlayerBiosPDF/Ochoa-07.pdf |archive-date = 10 August 2007}} That same year she placed in the top ten in three of the four major championships.

In 2005, Ochoa won the Wegmans Rochester LPGA. In 2006, her first round score of 62 in the Kraft Nabisco Championship tied the record for lowest score ever by a golfer, male or female, in any major tournament. Her playoff loss to Karrie Webb marked her best finish until 2007 in an LPGA major. By the end of the year she won six tournaments, topped the money list and claimed her first LPGA Tour Player of the Year award which goes to the player who gains the most points throughout the season based on a formula in which points are awarded for top-10 finishes and are doubled at the LPGA's four major championships and at the season-ending ADT Championship. | access-date =28 April 2007}} She also won the LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour. | access-date =28 April 2007}}

Her achievements were recognized outside the sport of golf when Ochoa won the 2006 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award and received the National Sports Prize for the second time. | access-date =27 April 2007}}

In April 2007, Ochoa overtook Annika Sörenstam to become the world number one ranked golfer. | access-date =28 April 2007}}

In August 2007, Ochoa won her first major championship at the historic home of golf, the Old Course at St Andrews, with a wire-to-wire win by four shots at the Women's British Open. |access-date = 27 August 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928000209/http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_news.php?Id=10208 |archive-date = 28 September 2007}} She won the next two LPGA events, the CN Canadian Women's Open and the Safeway Classic, the first to win three consecutive events since Sörenstam in 2005. | access-date =27 August 2007}}

Also in 2007, Ochoa became the first woman ever to earn more than $4,000,000 in a single season, surpassing Sörenstam's previous record of $2,863,904.

In April 2008, Ochoa won her second major championship, this time at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, becoming the first golfer to win consecutive LPGA majors since Sörenstam in 2005. She celebrated this victory in the traditional fashion for the Kraft Nabisco by jumping into the pond on the 18th green. The following week, she won the Corona Championship in her home country by 11 strokes. This gave her the final tournament win she needed to qualify for the World Golf Hall of Fame, although she cannot be inducted until she completes ten seasons on the LPGA Tour.

Ochoa was coached by Rafael Alarcon, a Mexican professional. Alarcon finished second in the 1976 Canadian Amateur Championship, won that title in 1979, then turned professional.

Retirement

On 20 April 2010, Ochoa released a statement indicating her intent to retire from professional golf. At a press conference held in Mexico City on 23 April 2010, Ochoa said her last tournament would be the 2010 Tres Marias Championship to be played from 29 April through 2 May. She said that her career plan had always been to play for "around ten years" and to be the number 1 ranked player in the world. She also said: I just want to be honest with all of you. I went to Asia, and after two or three days of being in Thailand, it was really easy to me – it was really clear to see that I didn't want to be out there, you know. I just was thinking of other things. I wanted to get home. I wanted to start working on the foundation. I wanted to be here close to my family. Ochoa said she would still maintain her membership in the LPGA and would play in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational and "I'm going to leave the door open in case I want to come back in one or two years to play a U.S. Open or a Kraft Nabisco."

Ochoa made a limited return to competitive golf in 2012, having been invited by her sponsor, Lacoste, to compete in the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, an event on the Ladies European Tour. Ochoa finished the event in T22, 13 shots behind the winner Stacey Keating. Ochoa also announced she would compete in the 2012 edition of her own event, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

Tournament host

In November 2008, she became the host of a new annual LPGA event, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, held at her original home course, Guadalajara Country Club. Proceeds from the tournament help support the Lorena Ochoa Foundation.

Personal life

Lorena Ochoa's successes fuel the family business, the Ochoa Group in Guadalajara, managed by her brother Alejandro Ochoa.

Lorena Ochoa is represented by the Ochoa Sports Management, along with Alarcon and Sophia Sheridan, a Mexican golfer who plays on the LPGA's developmental tour. The Ochoas are confident the list will expand as they attempt to grow the game in Mexico through Ochoa Golf Academies, created by Lorena, Alejandro and Alarcon.

Ochoa Sports Management also operates the LPGA Corona Championship, an annual tour stop in Morelia, Mexico; and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The Lorena Ochoa Foundation operates La Barranca, a primary school in Guadalajara with 250 underprivileged students and an innovative curriculum. In 2008, the foundation opened a high school with 21 freshmen students. The plan, according to foundation director Carmen Bolio, is to add a new class each year and then construct a high school building that's separate from the primary school. She became engaged to her boyfriend Andrés Conesa Labastida, CEO of Aeroméxico, and they married in December 2009. In April 2011, Ochoa announced she was pregnant with the couple's first child. As of mid-2017, she has 3 children.

Professional wins (30)

LPGA Tour (27)

Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

LPGA Tour playoff record (2–5)

Futures Tour (3)

Futures Tour playoff record (0–1)

Major championships

Wins (2)

Results timeline

LA = low amateur

CUT = missed the half-way cut

WD = withdrew

"T" = tied

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 17 (2006 Kraft Nabisco – 2010 Kraft Nabisco)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 7 (2006 British Open - 2008 LPGA)

LPGA Tour career summary

1 The first three events of 2002 were played as an amateur; missed cut was an injury withdrawal (neck) prior to second round of the 2002 U.S. Women's Open.

2 Ochoa was not included in the final 2010 scoring average rankings; her final event was in early May.

Futures Tour summary

Honors and awards

2001

• Mexico National Sports Award (a)

2002

• Futures Tour Rookie of the Year
• Futures Tour Player of the Year

2003

• LPGA Rookie of the Year

2006

• Mexico National Sports Award (2)
• AP Female Athlete of the Year
• Mexico Athlete of the Year
• LPGA Rolex Player of the Year
• LPGA Tour Money Winner
• LPGA Vare Trophy
• Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year

2007

• LPGA Rolex Player of the Year (2)
• LPGA Tour Money Winner (2)
• LPGA Vare Trophy (2)
• Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year
• Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year
• Mexico National Sports Award (3)
• Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year (2)
• AP Female Athlete of the Year (2)
• EFE Sportswoman of the Year
• Heather Farr Player Award

2008

• Best International Athlete ESPY Award
• LPGA Rolex Player of the Year (3)
• LPGA Tour Money Winner (3)
• LPGA Vare Trophy (3)
• Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year (3)

2009

• LPGA Rolex Player of the Year (4)
• LPGA Vare Trophy (4)

2011

• Bob Jones Award

2025

• Became an honorary member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

Team appearances

Amateur

• Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Mexico): 1998, 2000

Professional

• World Cup (representing Mexico): 2005

References

1. Shapiro, Leonard. (27 April 2007). "Say Hello to the Ochoa Era". The Washington Post.
2. Lane, Harper. (15 September 2010). "5 Great Hispanic Golfers". Man Made.
3. Ceballos, Juan Ignacio. (16 June 2011). "La familia Ochoa, del golf al tenis". ESPN Deportes.
4. (18 October 2016). "Love III gets Hall of Fame call: Woosnam, Mallon, Ochoa, Longhurst also included in Class of 2017". PGA Tour.
5. Callahan, Tom. (January 2003). "Here comes Lorena".
6. Arkush, Michael. (2003). "The Pride of Mexico".
7. "Women's golf roster – 2000–01". Arizona Wildcats.com.
8. ''How I Learned English: 55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life'', ed. [http://www.tommillerbooks.com/ Tom Miller], (National Geographic Books). pg. 154.
9. Tanber, George J.. (13 October 2008). "Ochoa's lasting legacy may have nothing to do with golf". ESPN.
10. (6 April 2008). "Speak softly, carry big stick, jump in lake…". [[Daylife]].
11. (13 April 2008). "Ochoa gains eligibility to Hall of Fame with rousing triumph". ESPN.
12. Rubenstein, Lorne. (3 May 2008). "Ruling the fairways". The Globe and Mail.
13. (21 April 2010). "Report: Ochoa may return in future". ESPN.
14. [http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?pid=23853&mid=2 Lorena Ochoa Retirement Transcript]
15. Gray, Will. (4 October 2012). "Ochoa opens rare tournament appearance with 69". Golf Channel.
16. (9 April 2008). "No. 1 Ochoa returns to Mexico confident she can start winning at home". ESPN.
17. "Recibe Lorena Ochoa anillo de compromiso".
18. (28 April 2011). "Lorena Ochoa Pregnant: Retired Golf Star Expecting First Child". HuffPost.
19. "Lorena Ochoa to play in LPGA event for first time in five years".
20. (1 July 2002). "20-year-old now sets sights on U.S. Women's Open". ESPN.
21. (11 August 2002). "Ochoa wins her third title in nine starts". ESPN.
22. (7 August 2002). "First-time winner tops the field at Knob Hill Golf Club". newstranscript.gmnews.com.
23. (4 August 2002). "Kim outduels Ochoa in New Jersey heat". ESPN.
24. "Lorena Ochoa – 2002 season results". Yahoo Sports.
25. "2002 score card – Lorena Ochoa". USGA.
26. Nichols, Beth Ann. (20 November 2025). "LPGA great Lorena Ochoa named honorary member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews".
27. (20 November 2025). "St Andrews welcomes golf legend into exclusive club that includes Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy | Golfmagic".