HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — Lorena Ochoa has spent her life scaling great heights, as a 12-year-old climbing Pico de Orizaba in her native Mexico, and in her five years on the LPGA Tour toppling Annika Sorenstam as the No. 1 player.

The one mountain that awaits is one she figured to have reached already.

Ochoa has done everything but win a major championship, and her next chance starts today at the LPGA Championship.

"Am I tired of the question? No, no," she said with a laugh. "My dad is also asking me that. No, it's just a matter of time. I've been good not to really stress too much and put a lot of pressure on me from what the press says, or what the people say outside, the fans or the players. I think I have a good chance this week. I'm going to try really hard. I'm ready. And hopefully, this is it."

No one ever said winning a major would be easy.

Considering all she has done the past few years, no one guessed it would take Ochoa this long.

"I've played with Lorena the first two rounds of the last two tournaments, and she finished first and second," Kraft Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel said. "That's not too shabby. It's impressive to watch her play and watch her hit the ball so well. She grinds it out, and I'm sure she wants to win — win this week, win a major."

It hasn't been for lack of an opportunity.

Ochoa put on a dazzling charge at Cherry Hills two years ago in the U.S. Women's Open until she popped up a 3-wood and put it into the water on the final hole, leading to a quadruple bogey.

Then came the Kraft Nabisco Championship a year later, when she blew a three-shot lead over Michelle Wie in the final round, made an eagle on the 18th hole to get into a playoff and lost to Karrie Webb. Ochoa wasted another good chance this spring at the Nabisco when a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 17th hole of the third round took her out of the mix.

"I just see the big picture, and give myself so many chances to win tournaments and to be close and to be at the top," Ochoa said. "Those are really good things. It hurts that I didn't win, but those are the things I need to work on."