April 7, 2002: Lorena Ochoa wins seventh straight golf tournament
Had everything gone as Lorena Ochoa planned, she would’ve played golf for the Texas A&M Aggies.
But when the time came for the Guadalajara, Mexico, golfer to enroll at Texas A&M in the summer of 1999, she didn’t believe her English-speaking skills were suitable.
She delayed her college plans by a year.
She also made herself available to be re-recruited, and after Arizona won the 2000 NCAA women’s golf championships, coaches Todd McCorkle and Amy Solfisburg arranged for the six-time world junior champion to visit Tucson.
She agreed to be a Wildcat.
Ochoa won her second tournament as an Arizona freshman, the Dick McGuire Invitational in September 2000.
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“She’s a blessing,” said new UA coach Greg Allen.
By the end of her freshman season, Ochoa was named the Player of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association.
She even contended in the 2001 LPGA’s Ping/Welch’s Championship at Randolph North and finished seventh.
Entering her sophomore season, Ochoa was ranked No. 1 in college golf.
She had won five consecutive tournaments, undefeated, when she entered the UA’s Wildcat Invitational in February 2002 at Arizona National. She won by five shots.
“She has the perfect game,” said Allen.
“She’s long and straight with her driver. Her iron shots are pure and at the flag on every shot.
“Then she has a great short game with unbelievable imagination around the greens. Everything you need.”
When Arizona went to Tempe to play in the ASU Ping/Invitational in April, Ochoa was seeking her seventh consecutive victory, unprecedented in women’s college golf.
It didn’t take long for her to grasp control of the event; she had a hole-in-one in the first round and shot 68 to take the lead.
She went on to win her 11th overall victory at Arizona, tied with the great Nancy Lopez , who won 11 tournaments at Tulsa from 1975-77.
“I was just trying to be patient,” Ochoa said later, admitting that she had been feeling sick all week, battling a cold.
“I’m very happy to win the seventh in a row.
“This is a very special tournament for me.”
At the NCAA championships a few weeks later, Ochoa finished second again, as she had in 2001. Her scoring average of 70.33 was an NCAA women’s record. The Wildcats finished second as a team as well.
Beyond her 11 UA career victories, and seven in succession, Ochoa’s finest day at Arizona might have been at the 2002 LPGA Ping/Welch’s Championship at Randolph North. This time she finished fifth overall, tied with Karrie Webb , shooting 67-69-68 in the final three rounds.
As an amateur, Ochoa could not accept the $47,000 prize money for fifth place.
About a month later, she announced she would turn pro after her sophomore season. When she climbed to No. 1 in the world in 2007, she replaced another ex-Wildcat, Annika Sorenstam .
Where are they now: At 34, Ochoa has been retired from the LGPA Tour since 2010.
She was ranked No. 1 in the world from 2007-2010, winning 25 LPGA events and earning $14.9 million. She lives in Mexico, operating a charitable foundation, is married and the mother of two children.
How she did it: When she enrolled at Arizona, Ochoa — called “Lolo” by her teammates — watched movies and listened to music to better learn English. She insisted on conducting all media interviews in English as a freshman.
