Guadalajara (Mexico), December 6 (EFE). – 15 years after her retirement, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa, former number one on the LPGA, is focusing her energy on supporting new generations and helping girls and boys of limited means through her foundation.
“All the recognitions were nice and important back then, but if I have to choose one thing, the thing that motivates me the most is helping more children every year,” he said in an interview with EFE today.
Ochoa, winner of 27 LPGA tournaments, presented a new edition of her book “Soñar en grande” at the Guadalajara Book Fair this week and revealed that although she is a mother of three children, she continues to lead projects to spread golf and demystify the idea that the sport is elitist.
“Today there are public golf platforms. You pay 250 pesos (about $13) and they give you your balls, they lend you a club and you can throw balls. In other words, the first contact with the sport, everyone can try it,” he explained.
Through the foundation that bears her name, Lorena promotes golf among girls and boys from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Last year he opened the first high-tech public school, both projects in his home state of Jalisco.
The Mexican, who has been number one in the world for 158 weeks in a row, is all about promoting young women in golf and taking them to international tournaments, a path that was closed in Mexico before she became a professional.
“It’s about helping the new generations. It’s our responsibility to share knowledge. I love it because they are girls who are eager to learn,” she said.
In her book, Ochoa tells how she decided to become a world champion at the age of 13 and details the efforts she made to get into the professional league.
He also tells how he turned down sponsorship in the United States to pursue his career after leaving the University of Arizona and choosing Mexico to further his education and perfection in the discipline.
“It was important to think about myself first when making the decision and not just money; that led to me being happy and at peace,” he revealed.
For ten years, Ochoa organized her own invitational tournament, which was part of the LPGA Tour. From 2008 to 2014, the competition took place on the field where she learned to play in Guadalajara and then moved to Mexico City, where she spent three years but did not continue due to lack of support.
When he announced his retirement, Ochoa was at the peak of his career. She revealed that in the final phase she lacked the motivation to continue and her game was no longer as perfect as she wanted it to be.
“In the last few years I didn’t feel motivated anymore; I found it hard to work, I was emotionally tired, tired of practicing and my results weren’t that good anymore. I was honest with myself and it was the perfect time to retire,” she confessed.
In her book, the Mexican confessed that she would like to make her philanthropic work “so great” that her name is recognized for what she does off the golf course and she is on the way to achieving this.EFE
(Photo)(Video)