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It has started.
Lorena Ochoa is arguably the biggest sports star in her native Mexico, still makes her home there, has opened an academy for juniors and has done all the right things. She has rightly been characterized as one of the most pleasant, conscientious, likeable athletes in decades, regardless of the sport.
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| Lorena Ochoa wants to keep her time away from the course as quiet as possible. (AP) |
Late last month, Quien magazine, a Spanish-language publication akin to People in the United States, published a lengthy story detailing Ochoa's five-month relationship with boyfriend Andres Conesa, the CEO of AeroMexico and one of the nation's most prominent businessmen. Ochoa has an endorsement deal with the airline.
On the surface, it's simple enough. But Conesa is a divorced father of three and 13 years her senior, which is certainly enough to create raised eyebrows as it relates to Ochoa, the reigning world No. 1 and the closest thing there is to Mexican royalty.
The translated headline on the June 23 story in Quien read, "Lorena Ochoa is enamored."
Translated again, into actual English: She's in love.
A private person who has surrounded herself with family, including hiring brother Alejandro as her personal manager, Ochoa said Tuesday she is trying to adjust to having every facet of her life under examination. But short of building a castle with a moat -– or living in a gated and guarded environment like Tiger Woods -– privacy is mostly a flight of fancy.
And that's no airline joke.
"I think for sure, being an athlete, a public person, your personal life or your private life is a little bit at risk, but that's the way it is," she said. "There's really nothing you can do sometimes.
"I always ask for a lot of respect in my private life and I will keep it that way, but at the same time, I have nothing to hide. I always say it's very important to keep a good balance and to have your sentimental side, and it's great to have a boyfriend and be happy and have plans for the future.
"And at the moment I'm very happy, but I will always keep my private life, try to stay away from the media and do it that way."
Good luck with that. It has been noted that for Ochoa to be married in the Catholic Church, should the relationship get that far, Conesa's marriage would have to be annulled. I'm no expert on religion, but that sounds like a pretty complicated deal. To her credit, Ochoa seems as chipper as ever despite the increasing scrutiny unrelated to the game and green grass.
So far, there are no hard feelings.
"I think I'm doing OK," she said. "Everything has been positive, and I understand that. I'm not one to cooperate. I'm not willing to show everything. But it's OK. I'm not mad; it didn't bother me. It's just I'll always try to keep it private as much as I can."
True to her word, if Ochoa, who defends her major-championship title at the Ricoh Women's British Open later this month, has any plans of punching out early like Annika Sorenstam to get married and start a family, she's not showing her cards.
"Yeah, it will be a little bit farther down in my career, but I always mention this priority, and I would love to finish golf and start a family," Ochoa said. "I still want to play a few more years and stay at the top. Maybe I'll let you know when it gets closer."
Or maybe she won't.
