Ochoa Heading Back to the Links at Her Namesake Tournament in Mexico

Lorena Ochoa is returning to the links…

The 35-year-old retired Mexican professional golfer has decided to play in her LPGA Tour event in Mexico, but only as part of a tournament exhibition,

Lorena Ochoa

Ochoa will play the Lorena Ochoa Match Play on May 4-7, her first time playing her namesake tournament since 2012.

Ochoa, who was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for 158 consecutive weeks and total weeks, will be playing in Hall of Fame exhibitions during the weekend of the tournament.

Her brother, Alejandro Ochoa, said she did not want to be specific about her participation when speaking to a small group of reporters at Chapultepec Golf Club because the LPGA Tour had not publicized the Hall of Fame matches and his sister didn’t want to speak ahead of any announcement.

The LPGA Tour is expected to reveal details of the exhibition this week.

Ochoa said she has been practicing a few days a week and said she would practice every day in advance of her appearance at the Lorena Ochoa Match Play.

Ochoa retired in 2010 when she was No. 1 in the world. She recently had married and wanted to start a family and work on her foundation. She last competed against LPGA Tour competition at the 2012 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

Because she had not played 10 full years on the LPGA Tour, she was not eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame. But after a change in the voting process for the World Golf Hall of Fame — it is now done by a committee instead of a large panel that included golf writers — Ochoa was selected for induction this year.

Ochoa compiled her 27 LPGA Tour victories in a six-year span in which she rose to No. 1 in women’s golf. She also won two majors — the 2007 Women’s British Open the first time it was held at St. Andrews, and the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship.