Rohanna opens with 3-under in Panama (copy)
Robert Rohanna’s first tournament of the 2016 PGA Latinoamerica Tour season left him wanting, feeling he had left too many shots on the course as he missed the cut.
The Waynesburg Central graduate had a solid first round Thursday on the opening day of the Lexus Panama Classic with a 3-under 69. Rohanna is one of many golfers tied in fourth place at 3-under on the Buena Ventura Golf Club in Rio Hato, Panama.
The low 50 scores (and ties) advance to Saturday’s third round. Bolivian Sebastian MacLean leads after the first round at 6-under 66.
After opening with a pair of pars, Rohanna carded back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4 to go to 2-under.
He closed with four pars and a bogey to go out in 1-under 35.
Rohanna added two more birdies on the back nine to come back in 2-under 34.
“It was a pretty good round today. I was pretty solid from tee to green and putted well, too,” Rohanna said via Facebook Messenger. “I had some good golf ball control today, which helped with how windy it was.”
Rohanna had some issues with the altitude in the opening event in Colombia, which led to a couple wayward scores.
“We are at sea level, but the wind is so strong at times it’s like guessing again,” explained Rohanna. “I hit a 6-iron like 155 (yards) today from the middle of the fairway dead into the wind on one hole and hit a 9-iron from 183 on a downwind hole!
“It’s fun, but pretty difficult at the same time.”
Rohanna was pleased with the way he played around the greens, as well.
“My putting was solid!” Rohanna emphatically said. “I had 30 putts today and hit 15 greens.”
Rohanna wouldn’t mind repeating Thursday’s first round three more times.
“If I only have one bogey every day, then I’m doing something right, especially with the course playing this way,” closed Rohanna, who will tee off 12:30 p.m. today (1:30 local time).