Sunday, April 13, 2008

Ochoa not the youngest Hall-of-Famer

If there is a Hound Dog jinx, I'm going to fly in the face of it right here...

When Lorena Ochoa wins this afternoon and clinches entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame, she will NOT be the youngest player ever to do so. Ochoa is a few days short of being 26 years 5 months. Karrie Webb collected her 27th point by winning the 2000 US Open at the age of 25 years 7 months.

Lorena will be the first international player to clinch entry by winning an event on her home soil and will have clinched a full 22 days before Cinco de Mayo 2008! And probably set a new all-time tournament scoring record in the process.

7 comments:

Galley said...

Remember the good old days when entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame was one of the most difficult in all of sports?

Albert said...

Who is the last American to qualify for Hall of Fame? Julie Inkster? Or may be Beth Daniel?

Albert said...

galley: It still is the most difficult

Albert said...

Last four to qualify: Karrie Webb (35 wins, 7 majors), Annika Sorenstam (70 wins, 10 majors), Se Ri Pak (24 wins, 5 majors) and now Lorena Ochoa (21 wins, 2 majors)

Hound Dog said...

Amy Alcott, Juli Inkster and Beth Daniel were all inducted when the current 27-point threshold was established in 1999. They were the most recent Americans to qualify that way.

Marilynn Smith was inducted via the Lifetime Achievement category in 2006, making her the most-recent American entry.

Just because Ochoa has made short work of collecting 27 points doesn't make the accomplishment any less difficult. She will be only the 25th player inducted out of the several thousand who have played on the LPGA.

sag said...

After Lorena reaches 27 points, I could see it being a decade or more until anyone else does likewise. So no, 27 points is not too easy.

Albert said...

IMO from those who have been on tour for two years or longer only Creamer is likely to get there at all. Unless may be Laura Davies finds the second youth and wins two more times...