Rohanna rallies to make the cut
Rachel Rohanna had a tough time with her wedges and dealing with the windy conditions Friday in the first round of the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, so she scheduled a lesson with the coach that knows her swing the best, her grandfather.
Wise decision to turn to her grandfather because the work paid big dividends in Friday’s second round as Rohanna rallied with a 5-under 68 to make the cut at 2-over 148 in the first LPGA Tour event of the season.
Megan Khang, Haru Nomura and Charley Hull share the second-round lead at 8-under. Rohanna, Khang, Stacy Lewis and Sei Young Kim were the only golfers to shoot 65, while Christie Kerr had the low round of the day at 8-under 65.
The conditions didn’t calm down at the Ocean Club Golf Course, but Rohanna’s game surely did by opening her round on the back nine with with three straight birdies, holes she bogeyed in the first round.
“Oh, no the wind was some of the worst wind I’ve ever played in, but I had a lesson this morning with my grandfather. I hit the ball 100 percent better and had much better control with my wedges,” Rohanna said via Facebook Messenger. “(The big difference) was just my ball striking. My grandfather’s lesson was the key.
“I felt good all day, but I think starting out with three birds (birdies) in a row just got me comfortable. I didn’t feel I could stick every shot because of how windy it was, but I did feel much more confident.”
She closed out her opening nine holes with her fourth birdie to shave four strokes off her score with a 33.
Rohanna opened her first round as a full-time member of the LPGA on Thursday with a double bogey on No. 1. While she parred the hole in the second round, she had her lone bogey of the second round on No. 2, a par-4.
“I missed the green and didn’t get up and down,” explained Rohanna.
She carded her fifth birdie of the round two holes later and her sixth birdie fell on her 34th hole.
“Yes, I hit lots more,” Rohanna said of greens in regulation. She hit just six in the first round, but 14 in Friday’s round. “I had a couple 2-putt birdies, but hit the ball close the first few holes for 6-8 footers.”
The cut started at 1-over when the second round began, but slipped to 2-over later in the day with Rohanna on the course after a 12:48 p.m. tee time.
“No, I had no idea (of the projected cut), but I knew scores would be kind of high because of the wind,” said Rohanna.
Not one to watch the scoreboard, Rohanna had no notion of where she stood before she earned the final berth into the weekend.
“Haha, no, I thought all I had to do was bogey and I’d be good!,” said Rohanna. “I think that is the biggest swing for me. Well, in a big tournament that I can remember.”
Rohanna averaged 295 yards on her drives and needed 28 putts to complete the round.
Now, she turns her attention to climbing the leaderboard over the weekend after shooting 6-under over the past 23 holes.
“Yes, it is, I didn’t even think of that!” Rohanna said her 23-hole run. “I was feeling really good. Today was a grind with so much wind. Hopefully, it’ll give us a break tomorrow and maybe come back for the last day!”