| | Ochoa In Familiar Spot
June 7, 2008
By Andrew Blair
Havre de Grace, Md. - A 4-year-old boy named Javier sat in
an ideal position, right up against the gallery ropes near
the 11th tee Friday with his parents in tow, all waiting
and anticipating the arrival of one of their native heroes.
Lorena Ochoa, fresh from her fourth birdie of the day, was
on her way to a second-nine uprising, when she noticed the
clean Mexican flag painted proudly on the left side of the
young child's face. Ochoa smiled, softly crouched down for
a moment and gave her fellow countryman a golf ball.
"Shows how personable she is," one observer noted, watching
the boy's face light up.
"Oh, yeah, we love her," said Javier Sr., the boy's father.
 | | Lorena Ochoa is trying to rewrite
women's golf history. (USGA Photo Archives) |
Golf has plenty of reasons to adore the world's
top-ranked player as she pursues her third straight major
and second of 2008 at this week's McDonald's LPGA
Championship.
The 5'6 Ochoa bullied Bulle Rock in the second round,
shooting a cool 7-under-par 65 and is yet again in a
familiar place atop the leader board enteringthe
weekend. Former Australian Women's World Amateur Team
performer Lindsey Wright is a shot back after a
second-round 68, while Canadian Lorie Kane (70) is two
back.
Along with the rest of golf, Javier and the world may just
be watching a piece of history this week as Ochoa eyes a
Grand Slam. A win this week would set up the third leg of
the goal June 26-29 at the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen
Country Club in Edina, Minn. Ironically, Bob Jones also won
the third leg of his Grand Slam in 1930 at the U.S. Open at
Interlachen.
This major, whichfavors power players like Ochoa, is
playing a bit soft, with little wind and receptive greens
from the rains earlier this week. Ochoa played bogey-free
golf and surged late, collecting birdies on three of the
final four holes to comfortably set herselfup for the
weekend grind.
Afterward, Ochoa said the round was "easy," and as she has
for a majority of the year, made it look effortless. She
made a clutch par-4 at the fifth, and added birdies at No.
3, 4 and 8 for an outward 33.
Ochoa, who said she gave herself "17 birdie chances,"
misfired on a makeable birdie from 5 feet at No. 9.
"I said, 'OK, we have the back nine and I'm feeling good,
so let's go on and make some birdies,' " said Ochoa of her
mindset at the turn.
She did. After nearly holing her approach at the par-4
10th, she made a 3 to get to seven under for the
championship.
With her eye on reaching double-digits under par in a year
of remarkable feats, Ochoa attained another goal. She
knocked it on the par-5 15th in two to set up a birdie,
stuffed a wedge to 3 feet one hole later and knocked in a
20-footer at the last, backing up in excitement as she
watched the ball fall into the hole.
It's likely one of the few times she's reversed course this
season or since her stated goal to become the world's best
player when she was in her early teen years.
As for the here and now, with her grasp of the game and her
swing seemingly as tight as it has ever been, Ochoa has
missed only two fairways and three greens over the first
two days.
"Today was one of my best rounds of the season for sure,"
said Ochoa, who has registered six victories in nine starts
in '08 and a remarkable 20 wins since |