Ochoa called Sorenstam’s caddie when she was looking for a new looper.

Sentiments aside, both are here to win.

“It’s competition. It separates the things that you do,” Ochoa said. “But I can only say ’thank you’ to all of the things she gave me. I learned a lot from her.”

Sorenstam holds the LPGA record by winning the same major three straight years, the last of those LPGA Championship titles coming in 2005 when it moved to Bulle Rock for the first time.

It is a big course that favors both of them, especially this year. A wet spring made the grass lush, and rain the last two days have made the 6,641-yard course even longer. The closing hole, with water hugging the left side of the green, now measures 422 yards.

That’s not likely to help Morgan Pressel, who is paired with Ochoa the first two rounds for the second straight time in a major, of Paula Creamer, who is still trying to win her first major.

“The golf course is definitely soft,” Creamer said. “The rough is very thick. It’s very punishing if you miss the fairway. They moved some tees back, which makes it a little bit more difficult. Hopefully, we don’t get too much rain in the next couple of days so it can dry out.”

Sorenstam has not won a major since the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Newport, but when someone suggested it would be sweet to leave the LPGA Tour with one or two more, she quickly replied, “Or three? Yeah, that would be great.”

She has no regrets about leaving golf, with hopes of starting a family and building a business. And it makes it easier when Ochoa, who is ruthless on the course and respectful off it, is leading the way.

“I do feel a special bond with her,” Sorenstam said. “I respect her tremendously, and it’s been a lot of fun to see her grow. She has developed a lot as a person and as a player, and she’s a great asset to the tour. That’s another reason why I feel like my timing of stepping away is good. The tour is in great hands.”

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