Friday, October 26, 2007

The Artful Lorena Ochoa

I ran across an article about Lorena Ochoa in the San Francisco Chronicle by Scott Ostler that suggests there is something at least semi-mystical about the world's most dominant female golfer. The mystical issue was initially raised recently by Christina Kim, who told a writer, "I've known Lorena for almost a decade and there was always something sort of mystical about her. There was something different about her that a lot of people can't even grasp."


Lorena Ochoa by pgamexico at flickr.com

Ostler shares, "Ochoa is not large (5-foot-6 and 130 pounds), she's soft-spoken, she has delicate features and no bulging muscles, yet in the last year, she has reached a mystical place in athletics that is familiar only to people such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and, not so long ago, Annika Sorenstam."

Lorena's response to this so-called mystical aura was, "I'm very good at just leaving things behind. I think that's very important, just in the mental side. A lot of players, you know, just in different ways, they regret too much or get upset or angry or waste maybe one or two days or weeks being down. In a way, I'm easy with me. I do get really mad and disappointed, but I just kind of move on and leave things behind and put them in the trash can, and I keep going."

"Here I am," Ochoa said of her No. 1 spot, "and I like to be here."

Labels: , ,

Visit: San Luis Obispo Golf Guide

Posted at 8:21 PM :

3 Comments:

Blogger Jon Pappas said...

That reminds of the story about the two monks and the woman wanting the cross the river. "Are you still carrying her?"

October 27, 2007 5:41 AM 

Anonymous Andy Brown said...

There maybe a lot of mystical things about her but one thing is for sure she is all set to consolidate her position as the worlds top golfer. This year has been the big year for her winning her first major but apart from that she has been going from strength to strength over the past two years, winning six tournaments in 2006 and seven this year and there are no signs of her slowing down. The first couple of years she was not getting enough wins under her belt but she soon changed that and now has as many as 16 wins on the LPGA Tour.

She was just the second golfer from Mexico to find a place on the LPGA Tour and now within five years of getting there she is already the top golfer. There is something about these stars in various fields, be it Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Sachin Tendulkar and their ilk. They are the antithesis of the modern day athlete, not big, bulky or muscular but display magic in their respective fields to keep the world in awe. So is the case with Ochoa, she might be timid in her looks but her growing stature is beginning to overshadow her competition.

November 9, 2007 10:06 PM 

Blogger The Artful Golfer said...

Thanks for stopping by Andy. I'm enjoying your website! In comparison with Tiger, I like how unassuming Lorena is. No fist pumps, just goes about her business, quietly and confidently.

November 10, 2007 8:00 AM 

Post a Comment

Golf as Art

When you disappear, Golf as Art shows up. The resulting void is where all the important discoveries, personal development, satisfaction, joy and fulfillment take place.
–Fred Shoemaker, Extraordinary Golf

Swing motion at its highest level is the uninterrupted flow of natural rhythm from within.
–Tom Woods, True Golf

A great golf shot is a thing of beauty. Repeating it is an art.
–Mark Guadagnoli, Practice to Win

Artful Milestones

  • Mar 05 - Started playing (1 rd/week)
  • Jun 05 - Broke 80 (21st round)
  • Nov 05 - Increased play (2 rds/week)
  • Jan 06 - Under 10 Index (54th round)
  • Jan 06 - 10 GIR (62nd round)
  • Mar 06 - Less than 30 Putts (75th round)
  • Aug 06 - First Eagle (124th round)
  • Aug 06 - 5 Birdies (138th round)
  • Sep 06 - Broke 76 (146th round)
  • Oct 06 - First ACE (161st round)
  • Oct 06 - Under 5 Index (166th round)
  • Oct 06 - 13 Fairways (169th round)
  • Dec 06 - Broke 72 (184th round)
  • Dec 06 - 70's Streak (9/10 rounds)
  • Feb 07 - Under 4 Index (219th round)
  • Feb 07 - 15 GIR (219th round)
  • Oct 07 - 24 Putts (298th round)
  • Jan 08 - 70's Streak (12 rounds)
  • Jan 08 - Second ACE (332nd round)
  • Apr 08 - Par from Tips (370th round)
  • May 08 - Under 3 Index (382nd round)
  • Aug 08 - 50th Course (420th round)
  • Nov 08 - Broke 70 (460th round)
  • Dec 08 - 16 GIR (472nd round)
  • May 09 - 60th Course (510th round)
  • May 09 - 7 Birdies (511th round)
  • May 09 - Broke 70 (511th round)
  • May 09 - Under Par Streak (2 rounds)
  • May 09 - Under 80 Streak (13 rounds)
  • May 09 - Broke 70 (520th round)
  • May 09 - Under 2 Index (520th round)
  • Jun 09 - 70th Course (538th round)
  • Aug 09 - Third ACE (556th round)
  • Aug 09 - Broke 70 (559th round)

Previous Posts

Artful Courses

Artful Bag

Contact Me

The Artful Golfer on Twitter