We appear to be witnessing a passing of the torch in women’s golf. Come to think of it, it’s more of a snatching of the torch than a genial passing of it.
If you’ve paid any attention to the LPGA over the last three or four years, you’ve probably noticed the steady ascent of Lorena Ochoa. Even as Annika Sorenstam was having a ten-win season in 2005, Ochoa was learning how to stay at the top of a leaderboard. She notched her third win that year (to go with ten top-tens), before really breaking out in 2006-07.
Last year, Ochoa finally won a major, after coming close several times. Now that she can win the big ones, it’s anyone’s guess what kind of record she will end up with at the end of her career… maybe even Annika-like numbers.
What’s really remarkable about these two women is how much they have in common. Their dominance respectively began roughly 10 years apart, with Annika’s currently appearing on the wane even as Lorena’s seems to be gaining steam.
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Height and Age
Sorenstam: 5′ 6″ and 37
Ochoa: 5′ 6″ and 26
Advantage: Lorena. Ochoa is likely just coming into her best years, while Sorenstam is arguably reaching the end of her most productive years. Of course, another reason for a fall in her productivity is the increasing level of competition from Ocho, Paula Creamer, Suzann Petterson, Morgan Pressel and others.
Quotes
Sorenstam: “That’s the new generation… I think we should welcome them all and say, ‘Hey, that’s good for golf.'”
Ochoa: “The more chances I have, the better, and I’m going to keep trying.”
Advantage: Push
What Makes Her Caddie Cringe
Sorenstam: Keeps a horseshoe in her golf bag.
Ochoa: Has competed in two triathlons (swimming, biking, running), two half marathons (13.2 miles each), and ecothons (mountain biking, trekking, swimming, kayaking, and rappelling). You can almost hear her caddy, David Brooker, saying, “Why am I carrying the bag again?”
Advantage: Lorena
College
Sorenstam: University of Arizona
Ochoa: University of Arizona
Advantage: Push
Home Country
Sorenstam: Sweden
Ochoa: Mexico
Advantage: Push… Sweden has the famous bikini team, but for half the year anyway I’d rather be in Mexico.
Career to Date
Sorenstam: 71 LPGA victories including 10 majors, 84 worldwide victories, inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame 2003.
Ochoa:22 LPGA victories with 2 majors (the last two!). Ochoa qualified for the Hall this year, but will have to wait four years until she’s been a member for ten years to be inducted.
Advantage: Annika
Head to Head, 2008
Sorenstam: In four matchups this year, Sorenstam has two runner-up finishes. Not bad.
Ochoa: In each of those cases, Annika finished second behind… Lorena, naturally, and by 11 and 5 strokes, respectively. Ochoa has won five of her six starts this year.
Advantage: Lorena
Favorite Movies
Sorenstam: The Gladiator
Ochoa: The Gladiator, The Mission
Advantage: What gives here? Push
Scoring 2008
Sorenstam: 69.62 (2nd on LPGA) in 26 rounds through May 1
Ochoa: 67.87 (1st on LPGA) through May 1 (that’s counting her 73 in the opening round of the SemGroup Championship)
Advantage: Lorena
And the Winner Is…
Ochoa wins 6 to 3. Lorena is at the pinnacle of women’s golf right now, supplanting its former tenant, Annika Sorenstam. It’s very much like the Tiger vs. Jack argument for the greatest golfer of all time (though Kathy Whitworth might object). Annika is the seeming heir of Whitworth’s total victories (88) title, but who knows where she or Lorena can wind up. While the Woods and Nicklaus eras were separated by 20 years, today the LPGA enjoys an overlap of two players who could eventually be recognized as the best the game has seen. It seems a little early for such praise of Ochoa, but if the dominance she’s shown over the last year continues she might wind up eclipsing the century mark in total wins. That is a big “if” with all the good players on the LPGA right now.
And don’t count out Annika. She can still be a force. While it’s hard to believe that she’ll have another double-digit win season again like she did in 2005, it’s not far fetched at all that she still has several multi-win years ahead of her. Heck, she already has two wins this year.
Ochoa currently seems all but invincible. She had over a two-stroke per round lead this year in scoring average coming into the SemGroup Championship. And though she had a poor opening round, she’s only four strokes off the lead. That’s not much of a deficit to erase for her fifth victory in a row, which would tie her for the LPGA record with Nancy Lopez and, appropriately enough, Annika Sorenstam.
Photo Credit: © AP, Lorena Ochoa.com.
Nice article. No photo of the famed SBT?
Lorena is having a great year. Sorenstam had the better part of a decade. Overall, biiiig advantage to the Super Swede. Lorena is great, but I don’t see her having a long, dominating run like Annika. Nothing against Lorena, in fact I love her attitude, her humility, her competitiveness. But Annika came on the scene and won 2 Opens. Lorena has had some pretty bad chokes before breaking through, and something tells me it puts her at greater risk for flaming out.
But I hope not. I cheer for her whenever I’m watching the LPGA. Great player, great person.
Somebody save JP’s prediction, because two seasons from now he will choke on it. The new dominator (-trix?) has arrived in the LPGA! Now about that bikini team. . . 😈
Actually, I do agree with you, JP. However, I was comparing the two at a point in time, rather than over their careers.
Sorenstam has a substantially more impressive career than Ochoa, which is why she won that point (though you’re right, it’s a very big point). Ochoa will have to have a strong decade to wind up in the same league. But at the moment she’s doing what she needs to. Remember, Sorenstam started in much the same way as Ochoa has. She won here and there, but split time in the spotlight with Webb and others. Then she broke out in 1997, and the rest is history.
The question is will Ochoa be able to put together the kind of run Sorenstam has. She’s currently 5-over and 6 back so this might not be her week to tie Annika’s 5-in-a-row mark.
These two ladies are great for the LPGA. So what’s the beef? I would love to see them go head to head.