How dominant is Ochoa?

[IowaChop]

I don't spend a lot of time watching the LPGA. But I did notice that Ochoa won again on Sunday by 11 strokes and shot -25. So that got me thinking about what kind of year she is having. Looked up some stats on LPGA.com. She had played in 5 events won 4. Total winning margin was 34 strokes. Won HSBC by 11, Safeway by 7, Kraft by 5, and the Corona by 11. Played 19 rounds 18 of which are under par. 15 of those 19 are in the 60s. Seems to me she has been pretty dominant so far.

[gbk56]

I believe she has been dominating since last year. There is Lorena and then the rest of the field. She also seems to have great composure and seems to be very gracious.

[cambridge1807]

She has been amazing this year, seems to win by a pretty big margin over 2nd. It'll definitely be interesting to see how the year pans out for her. Winning 4 out of her first 5 events is really impressive, maybe she'll have a better winning percentage than Tiger? Who knows, but she has seperated herself from the rest of the LPGA and I believe Annika will have a hard time reclaiming the #1 spot.

[TourSpoon]

Seems to me she has been pretty dominant so far.

No not pretty dominant...extremely dominant. Shooting 11 strokes better than the field basically puts her in another league. Doing it twice in a season is just remarkable.

[Three Putt]

She's unreal, I think she is at the top of every category when compared to other LPGA'ers. But what is noticible is how she can flat out smoke a drive, ....straight. Seems like she is ahead of her playing partners (event contenders) by 20 sometimes thirty yards. I think she hit a few in the 290 range last week.

I think I will start doing the little double pump twist at the end of my follow through to see if it helps add another 20 yards....

[iacas]

I don't spend a lot of time watching the LPGA. But I did notice that Ochoa won again on Sunday by 11 strokes and shot -25.

I think there was also only one other top 50 player there. So, let's be a bit fair. Her five-shot win last week in the major was 10x as impressive as her 11-shot win against the LPGA's C League this week.

[mikelz]

I think there was also only one other top 50 player there. So, let's be a bit fair. Her five-shot win last week in the major was 10x as impressive as her 11-shot win against the LPGA's C League this week.

I am not discounting that last win. That win put her in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Knowing that's what is at stake and winning by 11 is pretty good.

[mutadayen]

I dont really follow women's golf too much, but it's hard not to notice how she's playing. I'm not closed to the idea of a woman playing on the men's tour, but a few tried, and so far not one has succeeded in making the cut. Annika came real close a few years back as I think she was off by two strokes. It would be really interesting to see if how she would fare. Something tells me she would be the first to make the cut, and even go so far as saying that she could very well be in the top 30. I think she's that good...

[iacas]

Something tells me she would be the first to make the cut, and even go so far as saying that she could very well be in the top 30. I think she's that good...

I think you're deluding yourself.

Watch an LPGA Tour event. Note that they are often 1000 yards shorter. Note the rough (or lack thereof). Note the width of the fairways. Note the locations of the holes in the middles of the greens. She's playing a very different game on the LPGA Tour...

[Thrash13]

I think there was also only one other top 50 player there. So, let's be a bit fair. Her five-shot win last week in the major was 10x as impressive as her 11-shot win against the LPGA's C League this week.

Yeah, and Kristy McPherson of Big Break fame finished seventh. That shows how weak the field was.

Ochoa is still dominating though. She has a decent shot at winning the LPGA Grand Slam this year, but I'm sure a slump will occur somewhere throughout the year. If she keeps up this torrid pace, she will become as dominant as Tiger. Right now, she still has a little ways to go before she is in Tiger territory, but she is getting closer by the week.

[iacas]

Ochoa is still dominating though. She has a decent shot at winning the LPGA Grand Slam this year, but I'm sure a slump will occur somewhere throughout the year. If she keeps up this torrid pace, she will become as dominant as Tiger. Right now, she still has a little ways to go before she is in Tiger territory, but she is getting closer by the week.

Agreed on all of the above. As I said, her win at the major was more proof of her domination this year than the last one with no good players.

Lorena has the advantage of only having to beat about nine or ten other players. Tiger, week in and week out, has 5 to 10 times as many people to beat. So, the odds of Lorena winning the grand slam are thus about 5 to 10x higher than they are for Tiger, I think. Since she already showed she can win the oddest one (the Women's British), and has won the more "American" style ones, I think she's got a pretty good chance this year.

[mutadayen]

No, I dont think I am. I think i'm being reasonable. I'm not talking about her playing Augusta or Pebble Beach. I'm talking about if she picked an event that suited her more than some of the truly rough courses out there, I think she could hold her own. I know the courses are much shorter and I know that women arent as long as men, but I gotta give credit where credit's due. The woman is good...really really good. This is coming from someone who hates when Michelle Wie tees up at a men's tour event when she still hasn't won one event on the women's tour.

I may be deluded on this one, but i'm not backing off the idea that she could very well do it. It's a mute discussion anyways because (1) she hasn't registered for a men's event and doesnt look like she will, and (2) it's just a notion...nothing more nothing less.

[Big_M]

I think I will start doing the little double pump twist at the end of my follow through to see if it helps add another 20 yards....

I hate that double pump thing... it bothers me just thinking about it.

I think there was also only one other top 50 player there. So, let's be a bit fair. Her five-shot win last week in the major was 10x as impressive as her 11-shot win against the LPGA's C League this week.

Yeah... considering the LPGA's depth, or lack thereof... it wasn't AS impressive.

No, I dont think I am. I think i'm being reasonable. I'm not talking about her playing Augusta or Pebble Beach. I'm talking about if she picked an event that suited her more than some of the truly rough courses out there, I think she could hold her own. I know the courses are much shorter and I know that women arent as long as men, but I gotta give credit where credit's due. The woman is good...really really good. This is coming from someone who hates when Michelle Wie tees up at a men's tour event when she still hasn't won one event on the women's tour.

I think she would get absolutely destroyed at the Masters... that course is pretty demanding, and I don't think she (or any other) LPGA player has the short game that place requires.

[BASHERBAKER69]

I tend to disagree that the ladies don't have the short game. They do, its their long game that is not up to the mens level.

[MrKadash]

I wouldn't have an issue with Lorena playing in one men's tournament. Maybe one with a "B" level field with little or no big names -- which would give the host a chance to bring viewers, meanwhile keeping the Ochoa factor legit.

The circus that evolved with Wie has left nothing but a sour taste in the mouths of golf fans, IMO. Sorenstam played in one tourney, and while it was a spectacle, it was short lived. Ochoa could play in one and be back to dominating the LPGA -- let it be a story, then a non-story. Impossible for that with Wie.

Would Lorena do well? Who knows at this point, like stated earlier it's a totally different animal on the PGA tour. I would hope she could play respectably and represent the LPGA in a positive light.

[BASHERBAKER69]

From the point of view of an LPGA event sponsor or organiser i would take issue with a Lady playing in a Mens tournament because it devalues the ladies competitions- it says that the Ladies events are inferior and it is necessary to prove their worth against the men. That is one legitimate reason why it should not go on any further. The Wie saga has been a freak show and has badly tarnished her career in my view. Men for mens tournaments, ladies for ladies tournaments.

[iacas]

I tend to disagree that the ladies don't have the short game. They do, its their long game that is not up to the mens level.

The women themselves routinely talk about the fact that they don't have the short game that the men do. Annika sought help from Tiger to improve her short game shortly before her last big run at the majors a few years ago.

Part of it is necessity - the women don't need to have the amazing short games the men do because their flags aren't as tucked, their greens aren't as severe, the putts don't roll as fast, the ground isn't as firm, etc. On the men's tour, money is made or lost with the short game. It's less important on the women's tour.

[NM Golf]

I agree with what Erik eluded to earlier. The LPGA as a whole is not as competitive as the PGA Tour. In any given PGA tournament there is an entire field of players who have the ability to break through and win. On the LPGA tour maybe 30%-40% of the field is actually looking for a win, the rest cannot compete.

I had a friend that has caddied on both tours and said its ridiculous, that there is a HUGE gap between the top 30 or so players on the LPGA and the rest of the tour. I am not taking anything away from Lorena Ochoa, she is a fantastic player. But the reality is she has to beat maybe 20 players in each tournament that have even a remote chance of giving her a run. The rest of the field just isn't in her league on their absolute best day.

As far as competing with the men she has no chance. Not on her best day and not even if they played on a course that was set up for her. Women cannot compete with men in golf. The Men's games on the PGA Tour are far superior in all aspects not to mention they play under much tougher conditions.