Meet Lorena Ochoa

When Lorena Ochoa isn’t on the golf course it is easy to find her. She is nearly always outside.

She might be running, hiking, fishing, kayaking, playing basketball, horseback riding, waterskiing, mountain climbing or go on a camping trip, but she is most definitely outside.

“I like to be outdoors,” Ochoa simply says. “My whole family likes to be outdoors. My whole life we’ve done things outdoors.”

When she’s not on tour, Ochoa lives in Guadalajara, Mexico but loves to spend time at her family’s retreat in Talpalpa, a town about 100 miles west of Guadalajara in the Sierra Madre mountains.

“I love to hike there and take day trips with my family,” Ochoa says. “We are very close and I like to spend time with them when I am home.”

Ochoa has two triathlons, two half marathons and two eco-thons under her belt in addition to her many golf accolades. She often competes side by side with her brother Alejandro, who is also her caddie.

While on tour Ochoa enjoys visiting friends and playing under the sun in Tucson, Arizona and Palm Springs, California. When she’s off the golf course, and the sun is down, she is an avid moviegoer and reader. Actors Robin Williams and Tom Hanks top her list of favorites.

Meet Jennifer Rosales

Jennifer Rosales has 19 dogs and she remembers every one of their names.

“I named them all myself, and I don’t have trouble remembering their names,” she says. “I just named them after my favorite athletes, favorite brand names and favorite places.”

While she is on tour, Rosales travels with two of her brood—a pair of Yorkshire Terriers named Asia and Bally. Though her busy travel schedule can be difficult with the addition of her dogs, the reward of their love and companionship makes it worth the added challenges. “I try to spend most of my free time with them because I feel guilty that they are alone so much of the time. The rest of my dogs are at home in Manila with my mom and I try to see them when I have time off from the tour.”

Living out of hotels for half of the year generally works out for the Philippine-born golfer. Especially when she finds herself at some of her favorite destinations.

“My favorite city is probably New York City,” she says. “We stay at this great hotel there that is right next to my favorite mall. I like to shop.”

A known fashion diva, Rosales finds stores like Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch and Pacific Summer a strong temptation in her free time. Many of the clothes and matching headbands she wears on the golf course are her own creations, and she recently signed an endorsement deal with Bally Golf.

Rosales said she prides herself on her sense of style and enjoys the impact her dark sunglasses, flashy tops and four tattoos have on the traditional idea of golf attire.

Meet Se Ri Pak

Se Ri Pak is focused.

When we asked the Korean born golfer what she would do with time off with no tournaments or practice and absolutely no golf-related obligations she says, “I would practice, work out and work on my swing.”

Pak’s is a tale of hard work and complete dedication to the game paying off. She won the Rolex Rookie of the Year award in 1997 and hasn’t stopped since. This year she is widely believed to be among the top ten golfers on the tour.

However, after the tour ends this year, Pak hopes to work in a little relaxation—that is, if she can stay away from the driving range.

“I would love to go to a beautiful island with clear blue water,” Pak said. “Hopefully I will plan a trip after the tour ends this year.”

Though she started out as a track and field competitor, Pak is on her way to qualifying for the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame this season. She already has accumulated the requisite number of points and only needs to continue competing until 2007 to meet the 10-year membership requirement.

Aside from being a fierce but cheerful competitor on the golf course, Pak also is a video game aficionado. Tetris and StreetFighter top her list of favorites. “I used to travel with my GameBoy but it’s hard to take a lot of things when traveling,” Pak says. “I sometimes play games on my laptop and when my sisters are visiting I like to compete against them.”

Family is important to Pak, and she returns to her home in Daejeon, Korea when time permits.

Meet Natalie Gulbis

Natalie Gulbis doesn’t do very well when she plays her own character in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 video game, but she’s willing to practice when she can find the time.

Gulbis is the first LPGA golfer to be part of the lineup of playable professional golfers in the EA Sports video game.

“We went down to San Jose [EA Sports headquarters] and they put the sensors on to capture my swing and they drew up my character,” Gulbis said. “They did a great job— the whole process was very cool. I need to practice though; I’m not very good yet.”

But Gulbis might have trouble working video game practice time into her busy schedule. With the Tour as her primary focus, her free time is consumed with working out and her side projects—a website, a calendar that is outselling the Playboy Bunnies, and decorating her new home.

In her down time when she is on tour, Gulbis tries to spend time visiting friends and family and she enjoys staying with local families rather than in hotels. “I stay with families about 75 percent of the time,” Gulbis said. “After three years on the tour we go back to the same cities and stay with the same people. Every week it’s like visiting old friends.”

Portland ranks high on her list of favorite cities on the tour. The Sacramento native now calls Lake Las Vegas, Nevada home and has strong ties to the West Coast.

“Portland has probably the best golf course we play on the tour,” Gulbis said. “It’s a lot of fun because lots of friends and family come to watch. It’s fun.”

BrainstormNW - Sep 2004