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Rohanna closes tournament with 2-under 70

By Jim Downey, For The Greene County Messenger 4 min read

The week started rough for Robert Rohanna and got even tougher as the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament progressed through the middle rounds, but the Waynesburg Central graduate ended on a high note Tuesday afternoon with a 2-under 70 on the PGA National Resort & Spa Fazio course.

Rohanna finished the 6-round tournament with a 16-over 445. Canadian Brad Fritsch ran away with the tournament, finishing seven strokes ahead of the field with a 27-under 402.

“It was a nice turn-around. I had a lot of good birdie attempts,” said Rohanna, adding, “This course is super easy when there’s no wind.”

After opening with 7-over on the Fazio course in the first round, Rohanna rebounded with a 1-under 70 in the second round on the Champion course.

Rohanna suffered an injury to his left thumb before into the third round, and his game — and body — suffered over the final four rounds. He was, however, able to fight through the pain and the adjustments it caused in the final round.

Rohanna started on No. 10 on the Fazio course and recorded seven six pars to open the final round. He dropped a stroke with a bogey-4 on No. 16, but got back to even in the final round with a birdie-4 on the next hole. Rohanna parred No. 18 to go out in even-par 36.

He had his finest stretch of holes in the 108-hole tournament after he made the turn. Rohanna alternated pars and birdies over the next six holes to get to 3-under for the round. He closed out his back nine bogey-birdie-bogey to come back in 2-under 34.

“Honestly, if I putted better I could’ve shot 5- or 6-under. I couldn’t read putts,” said Rohanna. “I had three 4- to 6-footers. If I make all three putts, I shoot 5-under. I missed 4-foot putts on all my bogeys.”

The pain from the injury was ever present in the final round, especially on full swings with a driver or long iron.

“I hit a lot of quality shots. I only had 70 percent power would be my guess. I hit 270 (off the tee) instead of 300,” explained Rohanna. “When I missed it, I stayed in the fairway. That’s the positive of staying in the fairway.

“I got used to (the injury). It’s not any better, and no worse. I got used to hitting the shot and getting it in play.”

Striking the ball off the tee box was better than off the fairway and off the fairway was less painful than the rough. Hitting off a tee helped. When he played off the fairway, the club contacting the ground oftentimes created vibration through the club, which created an unpleasant sensation in the thumb and wrist.

“If the ball sat down in the rough, it was tough. I struggled with hitting cut shots,” said Rohanna.

He kept his streak of misfortunate lies alive when he laid up on a par-5 and landed in another golfer’s pitch shot divot, much to the amazement of his caddy who couldn’t believe the bad luck Rohanna had through the week.

Rohanna completed the tournament wondering what might have been without the injury and a better opening round. In a fluke, he shot 2-under 213 in the even rounds and 18-over 232 on the on odd rounds. He played the Champion course, the more difficult of the two courses and home to the Honda Classic, in 10-over 223 and the Fazio course in 6-over 222. Rohanna carded 14 birdies over the six days, compared to 24 bogeys and three double bogeys.

“If I shoot 74 line a normal bad day for me instead of 79 and I don’t get hurt …,” Rohanna wondered aloud as he reviewed the week.

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