This week, eight Mexican players are teeing up at the Riviera Maya Open at El Camaleón Golf Club in Mayakoba, marking the LPGA's return to Mexico for the first time since 2017. For all of them, Ochoa is more than a role model — she is a foundational figure who helped make their careers possible.
“She meant everything,” said Maria Fassi, a 27-year-old standout who won the 2019 NCAA Division I individual title. “Whether I’m having a good year or bad year, I always think, ‘It’s your fault that I’m here.’ I wouldn’t have even thought about playing professional golf if it wasn’t for her.”
Ochoa was the world’s top-ranked women’s golfer for a remarkable 158 consecutive weeks between 2007 and 2010. She stepped away from competition at the height of her powers, and in 2022 was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Yet even in retirement, her drive to elevate the sport continues — now through mentorship and development programs.
Among the eight Mexican women playing this week are Fassi, Gaby Lopez, and Isabella Fierro — all of whom qualified for the event — alongside invited players Carolina Rotzinger, María Balcázar, Clarisa Temelo, Fernanda Lira, and Andrea Ostos. Many of them have direct relationships with Ochoa, who has remained closely connected to the sport and its future in Mexico.
Fassi recalled meeting Ochoa as a young girl and cherishes the ability to call her for advice. “We had a good relationship since I was like 10 or 11,” she said. “I hope she knows she’s the reason the eight of us are here.”
Ochoa, now 43, is attending the tournament to promote Xuntas, an initiative she founded to support Mexican girls and women pursuing golf, bridging the gap from amateur to professional competition.
“We have 45 girls in Xuntas and they are like sponges,” Ochoa said. “They are not shy and want to learn from the best. I’m doing as much as I can to help this new generation.”
Gaby Lopez, the highest-ranked Mexican golfer on the LPGA this season at No. 59, is a vocal supporter of Xuntas and works closely with Ochoa. A three-time LPGA winner, Lopez says this kind of support was missing when she began her career.
“We are committed to helping girls and teenagers,” Lopez said. “We want to accelerate their technical and mental development. This type of support can truly change lives.”
Isabella Fierro, another rising talent who made her LPGA debut in 2023, also credits Ochoa’s influence in her career journey. Though she lost her tour card, she remains determined — bolstered by mentorship from Lopez, Fassi, and Ochoa herself.
“I speak with Lorena twice a week,” Fierro shared. “She helps me a lot. She’s an inspiration every day — not just on the course, but off it too.”
The LPGA’s five-year agreement with Mayakoba opens a new chapter for women’s golf in Mexico, offering local girls the chance to witness elite competition firsthand — much like Ochoa once did before inspiring a movement of her own.
“Lorena is the GOAT — the greatest of all time,” said Albane Valenzuela, a Swiss-Mexican golfer whose father once played alongside Ochoa at the 2001 Spirit International. “She’s the most gracious, humble champion that golf has ever produced. Growing up, she always took time to talk to me, bring me golf balls, her polos… I have nothing but fond memories.”
As Mexico welcomes the return of the LPGA, it does so with a generation of players shaped not only by talent and ambition, but by the lasting presence of a trailblazer who continues to give back. Lorena Ochoa’s story didn’t end with her retirement — it simply entered a new, equally impactful chapter.