So much for Lorena Ochoa's retirement. The 28-year-old hasn't played in an LPGA tournament since May, but now says she might "play some tournaments for fun."
The golf world was stunned when she announced her retirement on April 20, but Ochoa reiterates now what she said six months ago: "I just achieved what I wanted to achieve [on the LPGA Tour] and I wanted to retire the No. 1 in the world."
Jaime Diaz, senior writer for Golf Digest, disapproved of her going-out-on-top mentality.
"When I first heard that Lorena Ochoa was retiring at 28, I had two unkind thoughts about this exceedingly kind person," Diaz wrote, in the July issue of Golf Digest. "First, that she was chickening out on the hard part of being No. 1. Second, that she would be sorry.
While it's not entirely clear whether Ochoa is, indeed, sorry about her decision, it does seem as though she's had to convince herself that she made the right choice.
"I would be lying if I said (I don't miss competitive golf)," Ochoa said on Wednesday. "I'm also super happy. It's just nice to be home. Every day it appears more to me I've made the right decision at the right time."
Bill Fields, senior editor for Golf World, wrote this column soon after Ochoa's announcement, recounting several athletes who "depart[ed] on their terms, before they reach[ed] the autumn of their skills."
And Ron Sirak, executive editor of Golf World, wrote this column on the day of Ochoa's retirement, delving into the complicated reasons a young woman would bow out on top of her game.
"Lorena Ochoa is a woman who has her priorities straight," Sirak wrote. "Right now, for whatever reason, golf does not fit into the picture. Perhaps it will again someday. And if she does return, it will be for the right reasons."
--Ashley Mayo
Results for October 2010
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Ochoa to receive 2011 Bob Jones Award
Even in retirement, Lorena Ochoa has to make room for more hardware.
The 28-year-old former world No. 1, who stepped away from competitive golf earlier this season, will be awarded with the USGA's 2011 Bob Jones Award for her accomplishments on the golf course and her foundation's work in aiding underprivileged children in her native Mexico. The news was announced in a press release by the USGA on Tuesday.
(Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
The Jones Award, given annually since 1955, is the USGA's highest honor "in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf." Ochoa will received the award Feb. 5 at the USGA's Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
"We've come to recognize Lorena for the contributions she has made to humanity much more so than for the golf trophies she's taken home," said Jerry Tarde, chairman and editor-in-chief of Golf Digest, and a member of the USGA's Bob Jones Award Committee. "She has become a one-person grow-the-game program not just in Mexico but in all of Latin America."
Ochoa won 21 times on the LPGA, including two majors, before her retirement. Her Lorena Ochoa Foundation runs an elementary school in her hometown of Guadalajara with an enrollment of 250 underprivileged students.
"I play golf for a reason and the foundation is the main reason," Ochoa said in the release. "That was my motivation to keep playing and practicing for many years."
Since her retirement, Ochoa continues to play in exhibitions, and also hosts her own LPGA tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, to be played in Guadalajara Nov. 11-14. She also said she is busy writing a book.
"People ask when I'm going to play again and I tell them I play every day with my father and friends," she said. "Golf will always be a part of my life."
-- Golf Digest Digital Staff
The 28-year-old former world No. 1, who stepped away from competitive golf earlier this season, will be awarded with the USGA's 2011 Bob Jones Award for her accomplishments on the golf course and her foundation's work in aiding underprivileged children in her native Mexico. The news was announced in a press release by the USGA on Tuesday.
(Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)The Jones Award, given annually since 1955, is the USGA's highest honor "in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf." Ochoa will received the award Feb. 5 at the USGA's Annual Meeting in Phoenix.
"We've come to recognize Lorena for the contributions she has made to humanity much more so than for the golf trophies she's taken home," said Jerry Tarde, chairman and editor-in-chief of Golf Digest, and a member of the USGA's Bob Jones Award Committee. "She has become a one-person grow-the-game program not just in Mexico but in all of Latin America."
Ochoa won 21 times on the LPGA, including two majors, before her retirement. Her Lorena Ochoa Foundation runs an elementary school in her hometown of Guadalajara with an enrollment of 250 underprivileged students.
"I play golf for a reason and the foundation is the main reason," Ochoa said in the release. "That was my motivation to keep playing and practicing for many years."
Since her retirement, Ochoa continues to play in exhibitions, and also hosts her own LPGA tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, to be played in Guadalajara Nov. 11-14. She also said she is busy writing a book.
"People ask when I'm going to play again and I tell them I play every day with my father and friends," she said. "Golf will always be a part of my life."
-- Golf Digest Digital Staff
CVS winner Recari calls Sergio Garcia's dad "Papa"
Newly minted Rolex first-time winner Beatriz Recari is full of surprises. During Sunday's post-round interview, after the Spaniard triumphed over both bad weather and stiff competition to take home the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge in Danville, Calif., she revealed that one of her golf mentors is none other than Victor Garcia, Sergio's father.
(Courtesy of BeatrizRecari.com)
Until Sunday, LPGA Tour rookie Recari was best-known for her beautiful face and glossy golf-pinup calendar shots and screen savers. Her win at the CVS put an end to any comparisons to Anna Kournikova.
--Stina Sternberg
Sun protection awareness at the CVS Challenge
Skin protection is critical during the long, sun-drenched days of summer. But what happens now, during the cooler fall months? Can golfers afford to ditch their sun protection regimens?
"Broad-spectrum sunscreen should be worn, rain or shine, 365 days a year," said Dr. Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, a board-certified dermatologist. "Ultraviolet radiation can penetrate the clouds, and even our car windows, so adequate protection is always essential."
The Women's Dermatologic Society developed a program in 2004 called Play Safe in the Sun, which travels to several LPGA and Futures Tour events throughout the season. At each tournament, dermatologists and volunteers provide free skin screenings (up to 325 of them during a single tournament), sun damage assessments, samples of broad-spectrum sunscreen and educational materials to fans, volunteers, players, and caddies. Play Safe in the Sun will cap off their season at this week's CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge.
"Thirty-eight percent of the people we see are referred to their own dermatologists for further diagnosis or biopsy of suspicious sites on the skin," said Nancy FitzGerald, director of communications for the Women's Dermatologic Society.
Paula Creamer, one of several top-ranked Americans in this week's field, says she regularly gets her skin checked by a dermatologist, and reapplies her sunscreen at least three times a day.
"I apply sunscreen every two hours, and I use a lotion with SPF 100," said Creamer. "Then when I am on the course, I use a spray sunscreen because being out on the course, I can't wash my hands."
But she also always wears a cap and sunglasses, an extra step that Dr. Adrienne Stewart and Dr. Michel McDonald, co-chairs of the Women's Dermatologic Society service committee, say is essential to preventing skin damage.
"Relying just on sunblock may give the athlete a false sense of safety," said Stewart. "SPF clothing, hats and sunglasses should also part of the skin protection plan. Sunscreen only prolongs the amount of time you can be exposed to UVA and UVB rays without incurring as much damage as you would without the block."
For the third consecutive year, Badreshia-Bansal will team up with her husband, Dr. Vivek Bansal, a board-certified plastic surgeon, to oversee the screenings given at the tournament this week. Badreshia-Bansal offers these tips for all golfers:
Read more
"Broad-spectrum sunscreen should be worn, rain or shine, 365 days a year," said Dr. Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, a board-certified dermatologist. "Ultraviolet radiation can penetrate the clouds, and even our car windows, so adequate protection is always essential."
The Women's Dermatologic Society developed a program in 2004 called Play Safe in the Sun, which travels to several LPGA and Futures Tour events throughout the season. At each tournament, dermatologists and volunteers provide free skin screenings (up to 325 of them during a single tournament), sun damage assessments, samples of broad-spectrum sunscreen and educational materials to fans, volunteers, players, and caddies. Play Safe in the Sun will cap off their season at this week's CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge.
"Thirty-eight percent of the people we see are referred to their own dermatologists for further diagnosis or biopsy of suspicious sites on the skin," said Nancy FitzGerald, director of communications for the Women's Dermatologic Society.
Patient being examined by Badreshia-Bansal for a suspected pre-cancerous lesion. Photo courtesy of Badreshia-Bansal
Paula Creamer, one of several top-ranked Americans in this week's field, says she regularly gets her skin checked by a dermatologist, and reapplies her sunscreen at least three times a day.
"I apply sunscreen every two hours, and I use a lotion with SPF 100," said Creamer. "Then when I am on the course, I use a spray sunscreen because being out on the course, I can't wash my hands."
But she also always wears a cap and sunglasses, an extra step that Dr. Adrienne Stewart and Dr. Michel McDonald, co-chairs of the Women's Dermatologic Society service committee, say is essential to preventing skin damage.
"Relying just on sunblock may give the athlete a false sense of safety," said Stewart. "SPF clothing, hats and sunglasses should also part of the skin protection plan. Sunscreen only prolongs the amount of time you can be exposed to UVA and UVB rays without incurring as much damage as you would without the block."
For the third consecutive year, Badreshia-Bansal will team up with her husband, Dr. Vivek Bansal, a board-certified plastic surgeon, to oversee the screenings given at the tournament this week. Badreshia-Bansal offers these tips for all golfers:
- Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) to all sun exposed areas at least 30 minutes before going outdoors. Don't forget the lips, ears and neck.
- Reapply the sunscreen every nine holes (or every two hours).
- Protect your lips with sunscreen and your eyes with UV protective sunglasses.
- Replenish your sunscreen supply once a year, since sunscreens have an expiration date.
- Seek shade whenever you can.
- Wear sun protective clothing: long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and broad-brimmed hats (not just baseball caps).
Read more
Transgender woman files lawsuit against LPGA
They say there's no such thing as bad publicity, but as far as headlines go, this can't be one the LPGA Tour appreciates during such a crucial stage of its financial "comeback."
Just as players were readying to tee off in the pro-am for the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge in Danville, Calif. (the tour's last event on U.S. soil before moving on to tourneys in Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Mexico), on Wednesday morning, the New York Times broke the news that 57-year-old Lana Lawless, a retired police officer who underwent gender-reassignment surgery to become a woman in 2005, has filed a federal lawsuit against the LPGA Tour. In her suit, Lawless claims that the tour's requirement that competitors be "female at birth" violates California civil rights law.
Lawless at the 2008 World Long Drive Championship.
(Photo courtesy of Long Drivers of America)
Lawless became a successful long-drive competitor after her surgery, winning the world long drive championship for women in 2008 before Long Drivers of America adapted the LPGA's gender rule the following year. Now banned from such events, as well as from attempting to qualify for any other LPGA competitions, Lawless calls the ruling "devastating" and is seeking unspecified damages from the LPGA, Long Drivers of America, LDA corporate sponsors Dick's Sporting Goods and Re/Max, and CVS, the title sponsor of this week's LPGA Tour stop in California.
UPDATE: A press release from Lawless and her lawyers includes the following comments:
Lawless' attorney, Christopher Dolan of The Dolan Law Firm in San Francisco, stated, "California's civil rights laws prevent discrimination against all minorities, including transgender persons. The LPGA and LDA operate a number of high profile qualifying events and tournaments in California which are highly lucrative to their sponsors."
"There are a handful of states which protect the civil rights of transgender persons. The intended outcome of this suit is to force the LPGA and the LDA to change their unlawful practices or be precluded from operating within California and other states, such as New York, which prohibit discrimination based on sexual reassignment. They will have to choose between continuing with their tournaments or their discrimination," continued Dolan.
According to Lawless, "I have traveled a long road to get to where I am now, a place where I always belonged as a strong, proud, capable woman. I am, in all respects, legally, and physically female. The State of California recognizes me as such and the LPGA should not be permitted to come into California and blatantly violate my rights. I just want to have the same opportunity to play professional golf as any other woman."
In stark contrast to the LPGA and LDA, the U.S. Golf Association has a gender policy which expressly includes gender reassigned females in its tournaments and activities. The International Olympic Committee, since 2004, has included transpeople in Olympic events. Likewise, the NCAA has a policy of inclusion for transpeople.
"I could participate in female wrestling in international Olympic events but here in my own state, in my chosen profession, because of blatant prejudice, I am excluded and discriminated against," added Lawless. "Before I won the Re/Max Women's LDA Championship, the only requirement for participation was that I was over 18 and female. As a result of my winning the tournament, which was based on my skill, and not my gender, they changed the rules to require that I be born female. This is not only unlawful, it is shameful."
"It is important to fight intolerance wherever it rears its ugly head. This unlawful activity harkens back to the days when African-Americans were precluded from qualifying and playing in professional golf tournaments. As Americans, we must always be vigilant against the poison and hatred bred from prejudice and discrimination. America was founded on the principal of tolerance for differences in beliefs and, over time, that principal has been recognized to include protection against discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, etc. The LPGA can't be permitted to violate California law. It is important for all Americans to protect against prejudice and preserve anti-discrimination laws; who know when they may find themselves in need of their protection," added Dolan.
--Stina Sternberg
Video: Paula Creamer on 'The Price Is Right'
Paula Creamer might be taking a few weeks off from tournament play to rest her still-recovering thumb, but she's not sitting around her new Florida home eating bonbons. In fact, she's logging more PR miles than most midterm election-savvy politicians. On Tuesday, her smiley face lit up the stage of CBS's top-rated game show "The Price Is Right". If that thumb doesn't heal right, Creamer could have a great future as a game-show product model.
-- Stina Sternberg
-- Stina Sternberg
Kerr loses momentum, lead -- and No. 1 spot in ranking
For so long, it looked like another magical week was underway for leading American LPGA Tour player Cristie Kerr. At one point during Saturday's third round of the Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Ala., she held a five-shot lead over her nearest competitor, and a win almost as clutch as her 12-stroke victory at the LPGA Championship in June seemed a foregone conclusion. Na Yeon Choi, who finished Saturday tied for second, said she was "a bit scared" when she looked at the leaderboard and saw that Kerr was at -20 a mere 50 holes into the tournament.
Kerr's body language walking up 18 on Sunday said it all: This should have been an easy win. (Photo by Darren Carroll, Getty Images)
But as great as Kerr performed during those first 50 holes, she stumbled mightily in her final 22. She played Saturday's last four holes in three over par but still held a three-shot lead over Choi and Australian Katherine Hull going into Sunday. All she had to do was hold on to that lead, but it was as if an alien from outer space had abducted the American's body. After hitting only 11 greens, failing to make all but one birdie putt and bogeying the final hole courtesy of an approach pushed well right of the green, Kerr had to watch her third title of the season slip out of her hands. Ironically -- or perhaps tellingly -- if Kerr had won or finished alone in second place, she would have reclaimed the no. 1 spot in the Rolex World Ranking and taken a huge step toward her first Player of the Year title. Instead, she remains in second place, behind Japan's Ai Miyazato.
After her defeat (Hull won at -19, Brittany Lincicome finished second with -18 and Kerr finished T-3 at -17), Kerr didn't invoke the dreaded "choke" label to describe her round, but admitted she had completely lost her mojo on Sunday: "I couldn't get the momentum going," she said. "My reads were off all day. Just kind of a tough day out there for me."
There's always next week.
--Stina Sternberg
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