Ochea captures maiden LPGA Tour Title

After an almost sleepless night waiting for news about her brother's ascent of Mt. Everest, Lorena Ochoa reached the pinnacle of her short career.

Ochoa won her first pro event Sunday, carding a 4-under-par 68 for a one-stroke victory over Wendy Ward at the inaugural Franklin American Mortgage Championship -- making it a day she and her family will remember forever.

"Climbing Mt. Everest has been his dream for many years," Ochoa said of her 27-year-old brother Alejandro before pausing to collect herself. "Before he left, we make a promise that I will win my first tournament, and he will get to the summit, so it was very special."

Ochoa, who became the first Mexican to win an LPGA Tour event, heard from her parents just before midnight and was told that her brother was due to reach the summit within a couple hours. She tried to turn off her cell phone and sleep but couldn't until hearing around 4:30 a.m. that he had reached the summit and returned safely to camp.

She talked with her parents, sent e-mails to her brother and his girlfriend, ate breakfast and took a short nap.

After that, winning the tournament was easy. She had five birdies and a bogey in the final round and held off three-time winners Ward and Pat Hurst, finishing at 16-under 272.

"I just knew I was going to," Ochoa said. "I felt very confident in the morning. I was just enjoying very much the whole day. I was very happy."

The 2003 rookie of the year had come so close to winning, with three seconds and three thirds in her short career. Ochoa had 13 top 10 finishes coming into this event and was coming off a tie for second last week after letting a share of the third-round lead slip away.

"To finally seal it and get the monkey off her back, I'm sure she's really happy," Ward said.

Ochoa nearly faltered again Sunday on the final hole after Ward, in the group ahead, eagled the par-5 18th to put the pressure on.

Instead of laying up on her second shot, Ochoa went for the green, hit into the bank in front, and the ball stopped short of the water. She chipped within 15 feet and two-putted to secure the victory.

"Everything happened so fast. I look and (thought), 'Please,"' Ochoa said. Ward never expected Ochoa to lay up.

"If she played conservatively, that'd be out of her comfort zone. I actually thought she'd make the birdie putt, even though it was downhill left to right. It seemed her time to make one," Ward said.

Ward closed with a 5-under 67 for a 273 total, while Stacy Prammanasudh (67) finished third, another stroke back. Hurst had a final-round 70 for a 275 total, good for fourth. Dorothy Delasin had a 68 and was fifth at 11 under.

Ward pressured Ochoa and shared the lead three times Sunday as she birdied four of her first eight holes.

But Ward and Hurst thought Ochoa had the tournament wrapped up well before the turn because of all the roars she kept hearing from behind. The few leaderboards she saw didn't help, because they usually were on the wrong page.

"The cheers were loud enough I knew I needed to do something," Ward said.

Ward, whose last victory came in 2001, struggled with her putter after moving into a tie at 14 under through 13 holes.

Ochoa kept pace and took control of the tournament on the par-5 14th.

Ward hit her third shot short of the green at No. 14, chipped on and two-putted for bogey, falling back to 13 under. Ochoa hit her second shot out of the right rough onto the green, made the birdie putt from 15 feet and moved to 15 under.

Hurst, who shot a final-round 66 in the event in 2003 only to come up short against Annika Sorenstam, then made her charge. She lipped out a birdie putt at No. 13, then birdied Nos. 14 and 15 to pull within a stroke of Ochoa.

But Hurst bogeyed the par-3 16th, giving Ochoa a two-stroke lead with three holes remaining.

Ochoa added another birdie with a 6-iron to 12 feet at the 16th, pumping her fist as the ball dropped into the hole.

"It's hard to describe how I'm feeling," she said. "It's amazing being here and being on the 18 green and having two putts to win the tournament. It was very sweet.

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