Ochoa ready for new challenges

Lorena Ochoa filled in the details of her announced retirement from competitive golf yesterday during an emotion-filled news conference in Mexico City. Her voice breaking and her eyes watering at times, she bid her official farewell after a career in which she reigned as No. 1 for three years, won two majors and 27 tour victories, and was honored for four straight years as the LPGA Tour's player of the year.

The world's top-ranked women's golfer will step away as an active player at age 28 after the Tres Marias Championship next week in Morelia, Mexico, to raise her family and run her charity foundation. She left open the possibility of playing in a few more tournaments, including her Lorena Ochoa Invitational each November in her hometown of Guadalajara, but an all-out return seems unlikely.

Her decision to retire is remarkable when you consider that since 2006 Ochoa had just one fewer victory on the LPGA Tour than Tiger Woods did on the PGA Tour.

"We all know that Lorena's golf has spoken for itself," LPGA Tour vice president Jane Geddes said, sitting alongside Ochoa. "But what has always been the most impressive to the players is the way in which Lorena was able to balance her rise to greatness with such humility."

Ochoa said she had planned to play the entire 2010 season, but two tournaments in Asia earlier this season changed her mind.

"I realized maybe I didn't have the necessary motivation and that I wanted to start a new life and come to Mexico and do different things with the foundation," she said. "I have achieved all I needed to achieve in sports. Now is time to change; I'm going to keep working very hard, but at home."

The LPGA Tour, down to 14 events because of a lack of sponsors, has to be hoping that a new star will come forth in the coming days and, for its sake, the sooner the better. Encouraging in that regard is the fact that 12 of the top 20 players in the current world rankings are 23 years old or younger. Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer, two of the four from the U.S. ranked in the top 20, are the Americans mostly likely to vie for the top spot in the rankings.

Korean Jiyai Shin and Yani Tseng of China are ranked second and third in the world, respectively, and will be competing for the top spot in the rankings in the weeks to come. But if the LPGA Tour is going to gain more sponsors in America, it would help if an American golfer could at least challenge. Wie is currently ranked No. 9 and Creamer is No. 11.

Information from ESPN.com, Golf.com and the Associated Press contributed to this post.




For a look back at Ochoa's career, check out this link:
http://www.golf.com/golf/gallery/article/0,28242,1811453,00.html