Ochoa to play pro-am at Mayakoba Golf Classic

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mèxico -- Lorena Ochoa, Mexico's most successful and decorated professional golfer, will participate in the Mayakoba Golf Classic's Wednesday pro-am when Mexico's only PGA TOUR event celebrates its fifth anniversary February 23-27, 2011.

This marks the first time Ochoa will visit the Mayakoba Golf Classic. While her exact tee time is yet to be determined, the four-time LPGA Player of the Year will play Wednesday morning, February 23 at El Camaleón Golf Club.

"This is a great honor to have Lorena join us for this special fifth year celebration," says Mayakoba Golf Classic Tournament Director Larson Segerdahl. "Not only does she represent the very best in the game of golf but she represents the very best of Mexico and shares our passion for growing the game of golf."

While the Wednesday Mayakoba Golf Classic Pro-Am is traditionally not open to the public, tournament officials are allowing those who purchase tournament day tickets (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) to attend this year's Pro-Am. Also, fans who have not purchased these daily tickets by February 23 can do so at the gate on Wednesday.

"I am so excited to finally be able to be part of this event," says Ochoa. "I have heard so many great things about it that I cannot wait longer to be there. Besides this, El Camaleon at Mayakoba is one of my favorite courses in México."

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by visiting the tournament web site http://www.mayakobagolfclassic.com/ or by calling +52 (984) 877-2380 in Mexico. Local residents can purchase tickets at the Mayakoba Golf Classic tournament office located adjacent to the El Camaleón clubhouse.

Ochoa retired from the LPGA on April 23, 2010 after holding the No.1 spot in the LPGA Rankings as the best player in the world for three consecutive years. In her eight years on the LPGA Tour, she won 27 times and was among the top three 63 times. She finished among the top 10 an incredible 108 times in the 172 tournaments in which she competed. She was also a collegiate standout at the University of Arizona, where she won a record seven consecutive tournaments.

In November of last year, Ochoa and Greg Norman, who designed El Camaleón Golf Club, announced a partnership to jointly design championship and resort golf courses worldwide. To start this historic partnership, the two golf superstars have contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in hopes of being selected to co-design the golf course that will host the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

In its first four years, the Mayakoba Golf Classic has donated nearly $1 million in an effort to give back to the community through various philanthropic organizations and charitable groups as well as promote the game of golf within the Cancun and Riviera Maya regions. Organizations receiving charitable contributions from the Mayakoba Golf Classic include Golf PARa Todos, the American Junior Golf Association, Centro Equinoterapia, Centro Integracion Juvenil, CINDAQ, City of Joy Foundation (Ciudad de la Alegria), Red Cross of Playa del Carmen, DIF, Flora Fauna y Cultura de Mexico, the Lorena Ochoa Foundation, Malix-Pek Pet Shelter, Rotary Clubs of Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Tulum, Un Hogar Con Amor and more.