Lorena Ochoa Invitational Preview

The LPGA's best players - including its retired and reigning Player of the Year, who returns for her first official event since early May - descend on Guadalajara, Mexico for the third annual Lorena Ochoa Invitational.  Michelle Wie won her first career title last year by two strokes over Paula Creamer.

The course at Guadalajara CC is the one Lorena Ochoa grew up playing and as such, is a fitting venue for her to make her return to the Tour.  Lorena made it clear at her retirement announcement that she would play in her namesake event and she also made it clear two weekends ago that she still has some of her game.  She won the pro-celebrity Star Trophy in China and while that victory was over a field consisting of Colin Montgomerie, Annika Sorenstam, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo (to be fair, Se Ri Pak was there too), it demonstrated she hasn't exactly kept her clubs in storage over the last six months.

The limited field consists of 36 players - five sponsor's exemptions (including your Hostess) plus the Rolex Top 5, and the remaining 26 spots are filled out using the LPGA money list as of October 11...as near as I can figure it, anyway.  I don't have an explanation as to why Wendy Ward is the first alternate listed (she was about ten positions behind second-alternate Seon Hwa Lee at the time) but the others lining up behind her fit the October 11 list.  Maybe Wendy is an alternate for one of the sponsor's exemptions?

Jiyai Shin is not here due to a planned reduction in her schedule.  She reportedly is cutting back on her travel in an effort to prevent some of the health problems she had to deal with earlier this year.  The absence obviously hurts her POY chances, especially if one of the other four contenders manages to win.  I think one of them will.