Feel-good sports story

So many professional sports figures behave like arrogant thugs that it's refreshing to read something like this on the wire today.

Ochoa remains humble at the top

By BETH ANN BALDRY
Senior Writer

"Hello." It's the way Lorena Ochoa begins every news conference. Sometimes she even throws in a little wave to unsuspecting reporters. It doesn't sound like such an extraordinary gesture, but the truth is most players skip the salutations and go straight to the questions.

Not Lorena. It's amazing how one little word can set the tone for an interview. It's as if she's saying, "I'm not viewing this exercise as a chore. Let's talk."

In a time when so many of golf's superstars are weary of all that accompanies fame, Ochoa is a refreshing alternative. She relishes the spotlight but isn't defined by it. She is as humble as she is fierce. One would be hard-pressed to walk up and down the range or alongside the gallery ropes and hear one bad word spoken about Ochoa. Which is why so many players, fans and insiders were pleased to see good things happen this year to one of Mexico's finest.

Ochoa clinched Player of the Year honors when she notched her sixth victory of the season at last month's Tournament of Champions.

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