Ochoa For Real
Oddly, there were plenty of “experts” who weren’t convinced Lorena Ochoa would be a factor in last week’s Safeway International in Arizona. Well, look again because Ochoa continues to prove her naysayers wrong, and this time she did it in fashion when she birdied 4 of the last 5 holes to win by two over Suzann Pettersen.
Petterson played extremely well on Sunday and put pressure on Ochoa early in the round, but Lorena answered when it really mattered, and that was coming down the stretch. I still think Ochoa doesn’t get the credit she deserves from the mainstream media (read U.S.) and quite frankly, it’s partly because she’s not Caucasian (blonde, blue-eyed).
If Natalie Gulbis or Morgan Pressel goes on a tear similar to Ocho’s, they’ll get the keys to every city the LPGA visits, make all the talk shows, and sign new endorsement contracts. Sadly, because Ochoa comes from Mexico (of all places!), and even fraternizes with the maintenance crew, she’ll never get the acknowledgment and recognition she deserves.