Lorena Ochoa retires from the game

The news shocked the world of golf when a short press release recently announced that the 28-year-old Mexican, Lorena Ochoa, is to quit competitive golf. With 27 LPGA wins and two back-to-back majors (2007 British Open and 2008 Kraft Nabisco) she has dominated the women’s game ever since Annika Sorenstam, the previous number one, retired. Now, things look bleak for the new LPGA Commissioner, Mike Whan.

Ochoa has said for some time that she would do other things with her life than just play golf, but the timing of her retirement is what has caught everyone off guard. She was expected to retire in 2012, after 10 years on tour. With only eight years as a pro under her belt, she is now not able to become a member of the Hall of Fame, despite having the credentials to do so.

A shy, polite girl, she comes from a devoutly Catholic family, and there have been signs that – since her marriage to Andres Conesa last December, frustration has been getting the better of her.

Conesa is the Director General of AeroMexico (one of her sponsors) and, as well as being 12 years older than her, has three children by a previous marriage. It is rumoured that this extra responsibility has taken its toll on her. Certainly she has always put family and her faith before golf, and she has also always taken her charitable responsibilities very seriously.

Things started going south for Ochoa in the middle of last summer, when she sacked her long-term caddie, Dave Brooker in June. She was very close to Brooker and upset that his two children were not baptised, even said in 2007: ‘How many more times do I have to win before you do this for me?’ Brooker told her ‘One’ and that if she won the 2007 British Open at St Andrews, he would do it. Sure enough she did, and they enjoyed an emotional hug on the 18th green at the home of golf. But, ever since Brooker left, Ochoa’s form has been patchy.

Ochoa will be remembered for her frequent visits to the maintenance staff at golf courses in Mexico, where she would take time out of the tournament to encourage them. She once even cooked them breakfast.

If Ochoa’s retirement is final and long-lasting, she will be missed by fans of the game everywhere. What it means to the future of the LPGA Tour (which is in turmoil anyway) is even more serious…