The dream of a grand slam is still alive. And the world No. 1 is looking more dominant than ever.
We’re talking LPGA, of course.
While Tiger Woods must put off his “easily within reason” for another year, there’s no such concern for Lorena Ochoa. After lapping the field with an 11-stroke victory at the Corona Championship — appropriately played in her native Mexico — Ochoa also has locked up a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
While Woods and Roger Federer have dominated their respective sports — and headlines — in recent years, Ochoa is on a run that is arguably at least equal to theirs. In winning her fourth event out of five played this year, Ochoa has failed to break par exactly once in her 19 rounds.
She has won 21 times in just five-plus seasons on the LPGA Tour. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, she’s played in 55 tournaments, finished in the top 10 in 45 of them and won 18 — winning roughly one of every three tournaments she’s entered.
The only knock on Ochoa during her domination of women’s golf was her inability to win majors. Well, that criticism is muted now that she owns the trophies from the two most recent major championships.
And the way she’s playing, Ochoa will be the prohibitive favorite to win the other three majors of the season. In her four wins in 2008, she’s won by 11, 11, 7 and 5 strokes, respectively. Yes, the tournament is over usually by the time she gets to the first tee box in the final round. Heck, it’s practically over when she decides to enter it.
Yet, Ochoa constantly flies under the radar in terms of visibility. There’s a teenage girl who’s never won a tournament as a pro and recently shot more times in the 80s than 60s, yet she’s considered the “rising star” of the LPGA. Other talented young ladies such as Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer have also cashed in their celebrity for commercial success. But on the golf course, they’re merely playing for the second-place check.
About the only way Ochoa will get the recognition she truly deserves is when she wins the grand slam. Yes, I said “when” not “if.” Even though golf is a fickle game, her recent performance foretells a dominance unseen in women’s golf. Not even in Annika Sorenstam’s best years.
And you get the sense Ochoa is OK with that. She’d rather let her club do the talking and her trophies do the showboating.
