Rohanna falls short in bid to advance in Q School
Rachel Rohanna was the last golfer to tee off Friday in the final round of Stage II of LPGA Q School at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla., and, unfortunately, was one of the last to find out her fate.
Rohanna carded a 4-under 68 in Thursday’s third round, and was in prime position to advance into Stage III as one of the top 80 (and ties). However, her putter let her down, shooting a 78 to miss the cut by two strokes.
“I will admit, I had a number in my head. Shoot a 74 and that will get you in,” said Rohanna. “Sometimes, you float to that number instead of playing (to the leaders).”
Rohanna said the looks of her 6-over 78 were deceiving.
“It was very frustrating. If you watched me play, you’d thought I’d shot 5-under,” explained Rohanna. “I had eight birdie putts inside of 20 feet, which is pretty good.
“Mostly, it was just my putting.”
Rohanna had a good start on the range and the putting green before her 1:15 p.m. tee time, which carried on from tee to green, but not to the hole.
“My long irons were tracking to the pin, and my short irons were hit so well,” said Rohanna. “The entire day (on the greens) was just a poor stroke. It wasn’t as though I was reading the greens poorly.
“Putting in the South is so different than in the North. I was really focused on which way the grass was growing. Putt into the grass, it’s slow; putt with the grass, it’s fast. I wasn’t focused on putting a good stroke on it.”
As with all golfers, Rohanna left a few strokes on the course which were magnified with her closeness to the cutline.
“I had 10 stupid shots this entire week and five were today. That tells you a lot right there,” said Rohanna. “I missed just four greens. (Her score) should’ve been a 76 (by hitting 14 greens). I missed four short putts inside of three, four feet. That’s uncharacteristic of me.
“After every single putt you miss, I hope it don’t miss (the cut) by one.”
Rohanna continued, saying, “I didn’t play that bad. It’s so frustrating. By no means was it pressure.”
Rohanna, a newlywed, now returns home, taking a break from the rigors of professional golf.
“It will great to be home. We (Rohanna and her husband Ethan Virgili) just got a new puppy,” said Rohanna. “I might come back to Florida the first week of November to play in a couple tournaments, but I’ll be back for deer hunting season.”
Rohanna reviewed her first season as a professional.
“My goal was not to go to Q School this year, but I made some rookie mistakes. I felt like I learned a lot. I played in the U.S. Open, and just missed the cut with a bad break,” said Rohanna. “It was a transition (from playing collegiately at Ohio State). I’m excited to go to the second year.”