“It was the best time” - Lorena Ochoa reflects on career and shares insights on early retirement
Lorena Ochoa is widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican golfers of all time. Becoming the first Mexican to ever reach the World No. 1 ranking, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.
From winning the first-ever women's major to be held at St. Andrews to earning more than $4,000,000 in a single season, Ochoa made her mark on the golf world before she retired. She has won 27 times on the LPGA Tour, but in a career that lasted only about a decade. Ochoa decided to retire at the age of just 28, after spending a decade on tour.
She won two majors during her time as a pro and needed to play for a decade to be included in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Reflecting on her career, Lorena Ochoa said that she wishes she would have stayed longer in college, instead of rushing to be a pro.
"I think that for me it was the best time in college – I was only there for two years, I wish I’d played four years because they were the happy days," she said (via Golf Monthly).
However, despite her talent, Ochoa often found it overwhelming to play on Tour, especially in her first year.
Lorena Ochoa explains reason for early retirement; says it was not a shock for people close to her
While Ochoa's retirement might have been quite a shock to her fans and most of the golf community, her friends, family, and even her sponsors had an idea that she would be retiring quite early in life.
Ochoa got quite tired of all the constant traveling, the media, and other aspects of golf, and she felt like it was the right time to leave the sport.
"It wasn’t a shock to the close people. My sponsors knew and it was the best time. I keep saying that I was so lucky because I made the decision because of the right reasons – I wanted to start a family and spend time with Andres, with my girlfriends, with my relatives," she said (via Golf Monthly).
Lorena Ochoa has since then been enjoying her life. She has continued to occasionally play in tournaments and even hosts the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on the LPGA Tour.