Lorena Ochoa is rolling toward another comically large victory margin, leading the Corona Championship by seven shots after going 66-66-66. She’s doing this in her home country of Mexico, making it an even better story.
And who’s paying attention?
Well, just about absolutely no one in the world of golf. It’s Masters week and the entire golf universe tends to get a little fixated when the green jacket’s on the line and Tiger Woods is talking grand slam. Which begs the question: Why is Ochoa being forced to play in Mexico Masters week?
It’s not just bad scheduling by the LPGA. It’s a slight to Ochoa and all of Mexico.
What, Mexico doesn’t deserve a tournament during a more showcase week? The people of Mexico are considered so non-golf sophisticated by the powers that be that the thinking is they won’t care that they are being forced to choose between seeing the Masters on TV or arguably their country’s greatest athlete live?
In many trips to Mexico’s great golf hot spots, I’ve always been struck by how everyone tells you that no actual Mexicans - at least anyone who’s not obscenely rich - plays golf. The country’s wonderful courses like Cabo del Sol are basically tourist-only plays. Ochoa’s doing some things to change that.
You’d think that would be a story worth highlighting in a week where it has a chance to be heard.
Ochoa has too much class to say anything about the calendar insult the Corona Championship received. It’s time to treat Mexican golf fans in a first-class manner though. Enough burying their tournament.
Give it a better week and it would get a better field too. Maybe, then you’d get more fans of LPGA players besides Ochoa in Mexico too. That would qualify as some nice international progress.
Sticking Mexico with a Masters week sacrifice is just shortsighted.
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Comment feed for this post
Jason Scott Deegan:
The Accidental Golfer:
Katharine Dyson:
Kiel Christianson:
2. As if they knew she would do this?
?Como si supieran que devolveria tal record?
3. At times she struggles, at times she wins, in her country. A veces tiene que luchar, y a veces triunfa, en su pais natal.
Why waste any cash on that event? I bet that they are advertising the heck out of it in Mexico, where the event IS ACTUALLY BEING PLAYED!!!! You can't go up against the Masters, so why not put your dollars to use where they are most needed. Bet Bivens was thrilled to get the event in Mexico this week...no competition. Ask a Mexican resident to choose between Lorena and Augusta and you'll get a clean sweep, a 100% return in favor of Ochoa.
That's nonsense! What makes you think Ochoa can do for Mexican Golf courses what Tiger hasn't been able to do for American courses. Participation in Golf in the USA has been on a long term decline that course owners are calling a recession; Tiger effect notwithstanding. If Ochoa could have any effect it might be to attract more tourists to less expensive Mexican golf venues. But any Ochoa effect on creating thousands of little Ochoa wannabees runs into the same economic reality that long obviated the Tiger effect.
And wait a tick, there is one! The Mastercard Classic in Mexico City held last month.