HAVRE DE GRACE, Maryland – World number one Lorena Ochoa enters the LPGA Championship after taking off nearly a month but the Mexican star is confident she can claim a third title in nine starts this year.

Ochoa was the only player in the top-50 money winners who skipped last week's event. Since last playing in mid-May she took a brief break, pushed tourism for her homeland and worked with coach Rafael Alarcon.

"It was actually a busy three weeks, but it was the right time to be at home, get good practice and be here 100 percent," Ochoa said. "I want to be 100 percent in the summertime when we have some big tournaments. I'm getting there.

"I don't want to say I'm in the best shape ever right now, because it's not true. But I'm making improvements."

And rivals no better than to doubt Ochoa, a winner of 17 titles over the past 2 1/2 seasons.

"Lorena knows what she's doing. She wanted to do what she planned," said South Korean In-Kyung Kim, last week's State Farm Classic. "My plan was to play the week before this tournament. It helped me with confidence this week."

Ochoa, 27, will be among the favorites at Bulle Rock Golf Course, where Taiwan's Yani Tseng won last year.

"I'm tough on myself mentally, because last year I put so much expectations, too high, on myself and then tried too hard to win the tournament," Tseng said.

"Now I realize the harder you try, the worse you get. I just want to go out and make some birdies and have fun and enjoy it."

Tseng defeated Sweden's Maria Hjorth in a playoff last year, each of them finishing one stroke ahead of Ochoa and retired Swedish superstar Annika Sorenstam after 72 holes.

The tournament will be looking for a new sponsor and new home course after this year's event, a sign of the troubled economy that worries some players.

"I am concerned," US star Paula Creamer said. "We don't know where one of our majors is going to be. It is a scary thought but hopefully everything will fall into place. There's only so much we can do. We'll see what happens."

US rookie Michelle Wie will try to win her first LPGA title. The prodigy has been in the hunt at women's majors before but never able to claim a crown.

"I'm making a lot of progress and hopefully I play really well this week," Wie said. "The first win is always a tricky one. It will happen when it happens. But I'm trying my hardest and I think that's all that matters for me."