Lorena Ochoa, stung by a playoff loss at the Ginn Tribute on Sunday, has extra motivation for the second women's major of the year.

The 25-year-old Mexican had led by two shots with three holes to play at a windy RiverTowne Country Club before losing out to American Nicole Castrale at the first extra hole.

"I really want to win next week after this week," world No 1 Ochoa told reporters, referring to the June 7-10 LPGA Championship in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

"I need to learn to win in the tough ones and for sure I need to improve my playoff percentages. I'm going to work on that."

Ochoa, who wasted a chance of clinching her 12th LPGA title with bogeys on 16 and 17 before hitting a wayward drive at the first extra hole, has yet to win a playoff in four attempts.

The popular Guadalajara native is not too concerned, though, and boasts an impressive record of two victories and seven other top 10s in just 11 LPGA starts this season.

"Sometimes when I win, it's easier," she said. "I have a lead of two or three shots, I feel comfortable and nothing bad happens with another player breaking through with a really low round."

Ochoa, who replaced Swede Annika Sorenstam as the game's leading player on April 23, concedes the only blemish on her glittering resume is the absence of a major title.

"I don't want to change my thought process in majors, just try to play my own game," said the Mexican, who last year became only the second player in LPGA history to pass the $2 million mark in season earnings with $2,592,872.

"To win my first major, I just need to play like any other week. The more chances I give myself to win, it's going to happen." 

Ochoa, who triumphed six times as the dominant figure on the 2006 LPGA Tour, has twice come desperately close to winning a grand slam.

She eagled the final hole at last year's Kraft Nabisco Championship before losing to Australia's Karrie Webb in a playoff and narrowly missed out at the 2005 US Women's Open after a late stumble.

The LPGA Championship, the second women's major of the season won last year by South Korea's Pak Se Ri, starts on Thursday at the Bulle Rock Golf Course in Maryland.

(China Daily via Agencies June 5, 2007)