Ochoa decision another blow for LPGA

After dropping hints for two years that there were things she was interested in doing with her life besides winning golf tournaments, Lorena Ochoa announced yesterday that she was stepping away from competitive golf.

The decision by the LPGA's top-ranked player was delivered by way of a short press release. A news conference has been scheduled for Friday in Mexico City. There is speculation that Ochoa will enjoy a farewell appearance at next week's LPGA event in Morelia, Mexico.

Ochoa's list of accomplishments at age 28 includes 27 career victories, two major championship triumphs and the last four LPGA player of the year awards.

“I don’t think anybody close to her or close to the tour is surprised,” LPGA touring pro Morgan Pressel said. “She’s always talked about how she wasn’t going to play forever and about wanting a family. At the same time, you hear it, and the reaction is, `Wow, is this really happening?’”

Ochoa's decision comes two years after former No. 1-ranked player Annika Sorenstam stepped away from competitive golf at age 37, leaving the LPGA without two of its biggest draws.

Ochoa will give her reasons at Friday's news conference. But the decision, though earlier perhaps than most expected, isn't that hard to understand. When Ochoa married AeroMexico executive Andres Conesa late last year and moved from her home in Guadalajara to Mexico City she became an instant mom to three children. She is building a new life with her husband, a 14-year-old son and 12- and 7-year-old daughters.

She also pours herself into a Mexican-based foundation that funds a school of underprivileged children and a new American-based foundation committed to taking the benefits of golf to Latino and others under-represented in the game.

"It doesn't surprise me that Lorena's retiring, but the timing is quick," says Hall of Famer Amy Alcott. "I consider Lorena a friend, and the thing I've always liked about her is that she is more than a golfer. She has a country behind her, and that's a lot of pressure, just as Annika had. They're really icons. It reminds me of the great Will Rogers quote: 'It's great to be great, but it's greater to be human.'"

Information from ESPN.com, Golf.com and GolfChannel.com contributed to this post.