Barring a collapse of six shots in nine holes, Lorena Ochoa will win her first women’s golf major sending Mexico into a frenzy reminiscent of Italy’s World Cup win last year as they proudly and publicly celebreate her Women’s Open Championship.
Playing the par 73 Old Course at St. Andrews, she was 2-under after the front nine for a score to par of 8-under for the tournament. St. Andrews normally plays as a par 72, but a foolish decision was made to affect the par of the course – this time to the hallowed Road Hole, Number 17. The world’s greatest par-4 has been diluted to a mundane par-5. Several women reached the green easily with two irons.
This marks the second time in three weeks that a foreign born player has won an Open Championship on a Scottish links. Looks like we better brush up on our bump and run shots here in the states. 60 degree lob wedges don’t fare well in wind, do they?
Reaction to Ochoa has been tepid in the grill rooms of American clubs. “I was rooting for Paula Creamer” said Sally Assunta. “I don’t dislike Ochoa, but she does nothing for me either and she always looks like she’s pouting. Besides, I wanted an American to win.”
“I wanted an American girl to win as well” said one male patron, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Everything with her is Mexico, Mexico, Mexico. She’s making her money here in America. Can’t she say something nice about us?”
Such concerns again echo ethnocentrism and poor sportsmanship on our part. Ochoa has never once spoken ill of the United States and seems genuinely grateful, modest and hard-working, like all good people like their sports heroes. Several off-color comments were also made regarding Sergio Garcia two weeks ago as the British Open was contested at Carnoustie. Several people expressed distaste not fgor Ochoa. but for the chants at Mexican sporting events of “Osama! Osama!”
I do agree that the Maxican chants of Osama” should be severely denounced by Mexican officials and the uncouth practice ended immediately. Such callousness offends the memory of the thousands of innocents who lost their lives to terrorism that day. It’s just too over the top and disrespectful.Â
But Ochoa merely shows genuine national pride for her homeland. If we don’t have a problem with an American athlete draping themself in the American flag after they win, it’s hypocritical of us to criticize someone from Mexico, Italy, Saudi Arabia or any other country when they make their homeland proud. Let’s not paint Ochoa undeservedly with the same brush as the soccer hooligans who abuse our soccer team. She has always proven to be a gracious winner, an honest competitor and an ambassador for the game.
Once again, the wisdom is in knowing that in golf you can root all you want FOR a player, but you never root AGAINST any player.
We should also note how quickly she got that awful media scarlet letter off her as well, winning a first major inless than ten tries. The average on the PGA Tour for first time major winners is in the thirties. We can’t all be Eldrick T. Woods you know.
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