Lorena Ochoa takes a swing during this month's Kraft Nabisco Championshiprena Ochoa is ready to walk away from professional golf at the age of 28.The Mexican is ranked No. 1 in the world in the women's game, but has entered only four events this year.
She married last December to AeroMexico CEO Andres Conesa, and has said for years that she would quit competing when she was ready to begin a family.
Her plan to announce her retirement at a Friday press conference was first reported by the Mexican newspaper Reforma, and confirmed in a statement from Ochoa'a management group, according to the LPGA's Web site.
"Lorena Ochoa confirms her retirement from the LPGA, as news reports in some media have said today. The reasons and more details on the matter will be given by Lorena personally in a press conference on Friday in Mexico City. Lorena will share this news of a new stage in her life with her sponsors, family members and friends."
Ochoa dropped hints about her retirement last November, when she hosted her Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara.
Summing up her season, she said: "If you are talking about the results on the golf course, for sure it's not the best year for me. But what's important is I am happy."
She added that: "Personally, it's more important the things that I do outside the golf course. And that's been my main focus right now."
Conesa has three children from a previous marriage, so Ochoa stepped into a ready-made family. She leaves with 27 career tournament victories and earnings of more than $14 million.
Ochoa didn't contend in any of last year's majors. Her departure will be another blow to the LPGA's drawing power, after the retirement of former world No. 1 Annika Sorenstam, at the end of the 2008 season.
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