Greg
Allen, Lorena Ochoa's college golf coach once said "As good as
Lorena Ochoa is at golf, she is 10 times as good a person off the
golf course. Everyone who has ever encountered Lorena loves
her."
I
have to say I totally agree.
I
had the privilege of covering Lorena for the Everest Academy Golf
tournament recently at the Wack Wack Golf & Country Club. It was
such an eye opener for me to spend the day with her as she met with
the players of the tournament.
Her
generosity to her fans, other players and everyone she came across
with was just incredible.
I was expecting her to go around and randomly pick flights to stop and say hello to considering her limited time as we still had to run to the Everest Academy to give an inspirational talk for the schoolchildren.
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| Ochoa with the Forest Hills ladies team |
Lorena however chose to stop at EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT at the tournament and personally meet all the participants and pose for souvenir photos. She gamely signed autographs on bags, balls, shirts and even golf carts!
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| Lorena with her brother Alejandro on an autographed golf cart |
I asked her brother Alejandro if it was normal for her to do that in the other countries they visited and he said yes. That is how incredibly generous she is. And Lorena does it humbly and genuinely.
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| Ric Pascua has his cap signed |
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| "Please sign my shirt!" |
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| Our future golfing stars with their idol |
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| Even the caddies couldn't get enough of Lorena |
After meeting everyone on course we did a few solo shots for a magazine and then off to Everest Academy for an uplifting talk with the kids.
The kids were excitedly asking her questions and listening to her advise. "Never, never give up. It may take a long time to learn and you can repeat your mistakes, but don't give up until you succeed." Lorena told the Everest Academy children.
What was astounding was that after her speech she stayed on and again tirelessly signed autographs for everyone.
From Everst Academy Lorena had barely enough time for lunch and then rushed back to Wack Wack Golf & Country Club to grace the awarding for the the Everest Academy tournament.
After the tournament and a short rest it was off to the Mexican Ambassador Julio Camalena's reception to honor her in Manila.
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| with Ambassador Julio Camalena |
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| Ochoa with The Impact Golf & Lifestyle magazine team |
What an amazing day it was to witness Lorena in action. Despite her stature she is unbelievably unassuming with the biggest heart in and outside the golf course.
Viva Lorena.
