Mexican LPGA Star Retires
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posted by Ladies on the Tee The main purpose of Ladies on the Tee Golf Blog presented by Sherry Tabb is to help women embrace the game of golf in greater numbers. The mission is to develop a community of women that will share their experiences, their ideas, their successes and their overall passion for the game of golf. |
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Goodbye, Lorena!
It was a sad week for the LPGA as yet another top player decides to pursue the next chapter in her life. Lorena Ochoa is only 28 years and had not yet played her 10th season on the LPGA!! Why at such a young age? Why so soon…before she reaches the normal required tenure of 10 years on the Tour to be eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame? This is ‘on the heels’ of Annika’s departure a couple of years ago. (Has it really been that long??)
Golf is not the only sport that has seen some the top players opt out early? Tennis lost Clijsters, Henin and Hingis to pre-mature exits. The good news for tennis is that both Clijsters and Henin came back seemingly at the top of their games. Will golf be so lucky?
Unfortunately, not in the case of Sorenstam. She has started her family and continues to state that she is more content and happy doing what she is currently doing both personally and professionally. It’s not like she has forsaken professional golf. She is still
very active with the LPGA in an advisory role and is very much involved in her Academy and her other business pursuits. Now she does it the way SHE wants to do it and not on the demands of the practice and training schedule she had to maintain to stay competitive. Plus, her beautiful daughter, Ava, gives her a totally different purpose.
What about Ochoa? She did not close the door entirely on playing professionally in the future. She alluded to playing in Guadalajara every year at the event she hosts. Will that be enough for her fans and for her own competitive fire? Time will tell but like Annika, Lorena now has family priorities that are replacing her golf goals. She has 3 step-children by way of her recent marriage plus she keeps it no secret that she will eventually want to start her own family. Family has always been and will always be one of Lorena’s most sacred tenets.
The primary difference that I see is that Annika had achieved so much more in her golf career and retired at an older age. Will Lorena be haunted by the fact that even though she says ”she has achieved every goal she set for herself in golf”, she may lose out on the chance of ‘earning’ her way into the hall of Fame with all of the necessary requirements of points (which she has) and tenure (which she is lacking)? Granted there are “veterans’ rights that will probably allow that to happen but that doesn’t quite seem the same.
My feeling is that she is entitled to her decision and that fans of women’s golf everywhere are indeed saddened by the prospect of not seeing her compete regularly yet excited for her personally and respectful of her right to choose her own future. My hope is that she will un-retire like her tennis counterparts and play out the full 10 years on Tour- selfish on my part. Either way I wish her nothing but the best and thank her immensely for all that she has done for women’s golf and all that she will continue to do via her Foundation. Adiós y buena suerte!
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- Annika’s Successor – What Do You Think? This week is the last official appearance for Annika Sorenstam...
- LPGA Recent Events – Good or Bad?? Top Athletes Bare it All This week there have...
View Original Post at sherrytabb.com
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This post is related to the following ongoing stories:
- Lorena Ochoa retirement
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