By John Strege
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Lorena Ochoa returned to Mission Hills Country Club on Wednesday, this time not as a star, but as a mother of three, a wife, an ambassador, a mentor, a philanthropist and the newest member of the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Ochoa, 40, was here to be honoured by the LPGA, inducted finally after the tour eliminated its rule requiring a player to have been a tour member for 10 years before consideration for enshrinement.

A native of Mexico who lives outside Mexico City, Ochoa played only eight years before retiring in 2010 with Hall of Fame credentials, whatever the LPGA rules – 27 victories, two major championships, four times the LPGA’s player of the year, and enshrinement in the World Golf Hall of Fame. One of those majors came here in 2008 in what then was called the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

“I’m just really, really excited to be back at Mission Hills,” she said. “It’s a place that is very special to me. Not only me, to my friends, my family, and we love this event. This is for sure one of my favorite stops on tour, and it’s nice to be back. A lot of memories. Early this morning I woke up and I saw the mountains, a little bit of now, and it was calm with no wind, sunny day, and I though, wow, this is perfect for a tournament.”

News of her pending enshrinement was delivered via telephone by Nancy Lopez, another World Golf Hall of Fame and LPGA Hall of Fame member.

“I was very surprised,” Ochoa said in a booth adjacent to the putting green at Mission Hills. “I didn’t know what to do, how to react. I was like, ‘What do I do?’”

She did what moms often do. She went to school to pick up her kids. “And then I’m there and I say, ‘OK, I got a phone call from my friend, very special news,’” she said. “They didn’t care. They didn’t understand. ‘Mom, can you please put music on?’ I said, ‘OK, this is not going to work. I’m not going to explain.’”

No explanations were necessary to those in the field here who stopped by to pay their respects, among them Stacy Lewis and Lizette Salas. Ochoa’s old friend and mentor Betsy King, a World Golf Hall of Famer walking with a cane after suffering a broken femur, was there, as well.

“I was just telling Betsy that it’s a great surprise to see her,” she said. “She knows how important it is to me. I been very emotional for the last couple days. We become good friends with the time. I think what I most treasure is the opportunity to spend time not only with Betsy, but with other players and just to be able to sit down and talk about how is the life on tour.

“Betsy helped me a lot through my career. And I told her, ‘Betsy I’m not going to be here forever. I want to do so many other things back home, and I’m not going to play many, many years.’ She told me, ‘No, it’s going to be impossible. You are going to be here for many years, because then you get in a mode where you feel comfortable, you play, you practice, travel, it’s a beautiful game, and they treat you so well.’

“But to me was a little bit different. I could really tell that it was the right time to stop. That’s why regardless the [LPGA Hall of Fame] rule, I say this is not going to change my mind because really what I felt in my heart was different, and I was ready to start a family.

“And even today I always say thank you to God because I was strong enough to make the decision. You know, I was very honest to myself. It turned out to be the best decision in my life, because now I wouldn’t change myself for anything, and the opportunity to have a family and my kids and the foundation.”

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By Ryan Herrington
There’s something romantic about the notion of professional athletes going out on top in their chosen sport. To retire before their skills have diminished allows them—and their fans—to hold true to nostalgic memories of success and accomplishment. But when Lorena Ochoa confirmed 10 years ago today that she was stepping away from the LPGA Tour, nostalgia wasn’t the emotion anyone was feeling.

More like shock.

Ochoa was 28 (the same age as Bobby Jones when he retired from competitive play) and had been the No. 1-ranked female golfer in the world for the previous 157 weeks (no woman since has held the top spot for more than 109). In less than eight full seasons on the LPGA, she won 27 titles—17 coming in the immediate 24 months before retirement—and offered no hints that she wasn’t posed to win plenty more. She was a two-time major champion and the dominant presence on tour since the retirement of Annika Sorenstam two years earlier, the Swedish sensation surprising many when she put away her clubs at a comparably ancient age of 37.

Three days later, Ochoa spoke to the media in Mexico City ahead of competing in her farewell tournament, the LPGA’s Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico, and offered the most basic yet sincere reasoning for her decision.

“First, I wanted to retire as No. 1,” she said. “Second, I always dreamed of saying goodbye in Mexico. Now, I want to leave and enjoy everyday life. I want to give back to my family the times I haven’t been able to give them the last eight years. I am very satisfied with my achievements.”

Ochoa cries during the 2010 press conference to announce her retirement.

Those achievements were truly impressive. Here are her LPGA stats:

173 starts
27 wins
63 top-three finishes (36 percent of all starts)
109 top-10 finishes (63 percent)
$14.8 million in earnings (fourth all-time)
4-time LPGA player of the year (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Ochoa’s record in majors was stout as well. In 29 as a professional, she won two and had 17 top-10 finishes.

“I’m just crushed,” said Hall of Famer and TV analyst Judy Rankin, upon hearing the news. “We won’t get to see her play golf. Mostly, we won’t get to see her.”

After a sixth-place showing that week, Ochoa held true to her desire to enjoy everyday life. She played once more that season in an LPGA event named after her, and had one other start in 2012. In the meantime, Ochoa started a family with her husband Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa, the couple having three children.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Ochoa is joined by Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak and Nancy Lopez as honourary starters ahead of the final round of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019.

These days, she helps with the work of the Ochoa Group and Ochoa Sports Management, run by her brother, Alejandro. She’s also involved in the Ochoa Golf Academies, which she helped create along with Alejandro and her longtime coach, Rafael Alacorn, to help grow the game of golf in Mexico.

Most important is her work with the Lorena Ochoa Foundation, which began with the creation of a primary school in her hometown of Guadalajara in 2004 for 250 underprivileged students. The foundation has since built a high school and has graduated more than 4,000 students.

It’s a life that Ochoa cherishes, one that she always envisioned. Golf was a part of her life, but never the source of it. While driven and competitive on the course, Ochoa never looked back when she decided to leave. Could she have won more? No doubt. But she didn’t need to. Not to feel fulfilled.

The post That Lorena Ochoa retired from golf at 28 and as World No. 1 is still shocking 10 years later appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Laughter, smiles, tears. The ceremonial opening tee shot to the final round of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur had them all … and that was just from the four guests of honour.

Introduced by Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley, World Golf Hall of Famers Se Ri Pak, Lorena Ochoa, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam took to the first tee on Saturday morning in front of an appreciative gallery of thousands, helping provide the historic day an extra bit of shine. Behind them sat a few rows of young girls, along with several surrounding the tee box. Former chairman Billy Payne was there, as was two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson. A pair of female members at Augusta National, Condoleezza Rice and former USGA president Diana Murphy, were among the dignitaries watching as well.

“It’s just so emotional,” said a tearful Lopez. “This whole week really. The spirit around this entire tournament has been unbelievable. And to see the way these girls have played is just so impressive.”

Leading the way for the next generation, World Golf Hall-of-Famers opened the final round of inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur.#ANWAgolf pic.twitter.com/jmopJhOsOf

— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 6, 2019

There was genuine relief in the faces of all four players after they hit the shots. The moment was big, even for players whose careers have been defined by big moments.

“It’s so exciting to see [the players] and talking to them after their rounds, the smiles are up to their ear, all of them,” Sorenstam said on Friday. “They can’t stop smiling and it’s a dream come true. I’m so happy for them.

“What a cool experience, to come here and just to get a chance to experience it because many of them have not been here. This is golf, and it’s what you dream about.”

Lorena Ochoa, Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam and Se-Ri Pak take part in the First Tee ceremony prior to the start of the final round of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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