Rohanna confident in strong finish
One thing Rachel Rohanna has been able to do through her second season on the Symetra Tour is stay away from big numbers.
That was, until, the Waynesburg Central graduate played No. 16 on Raintree Country Club, the host course for last week’s Symetra Classic, for the third time.
“I was playing so well, then I post an 8 on my 52nd hole. It was so frustrating,” explained Rohanna from her home on Memorial Day.
Rohanna was plugging right along in the third and final round of the tour stop in Charlotte, N.C., posting two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine to go out in even-par 36 and then a bogey on No. 13 to slip to even-par for the tournament.
Raintree’s No. 16 is a dogleg left par-5, 465 yards long. Out of bounds on either side of the fairway for a wayward tee shot. Golfers can drive to the corner of the dogleg or opt to go long and take the dogleg out of play. The approach shot is another “risk-reward” situation, either opting to lay up in front of the water in front of the green or go for the green.
“I tried to hit it over the dogleg and the ball hit the roof of a house and kicked out,” said Rohanna, who almost hit her next tee shot out of bounds. “I carried the water, but my ball landed under a tree with a downhill chip on hardpan. I was between wedges, but I bladed it and the ball almost went out of bounds again.
“I got it on the green and two-putted for an eight.”
Rohanna tried to get the strokes back over the final two holes, but a hopeful birdie-birdie finish went par-par to finish with a 4-over 76 and a three-round total of 3-over 219 for a payday of $450.
Although it’s tough to say for sure just how much, Rohanna could’ve easily doubled her winnings without the “snowman.” She went birdie-par in the first two rounds on the wayward hole, and a par score on No. 16 might’ve been worth over $500 more.
“I couldn’t get anything to drop (on the greens). I like to putt with dying speed and I’ve been an inch, two-inches, one revolution short,” said Rohanna. “I have a tough time on slow greens.”
Rohanna enters the break week confident her chance to finish strong and earn a spot on the LPGA Tour.
“I kind of excited for the month of June,” said Rohanna. “I’ll keep on grinding. The putts are bound to fall.”
The Symetra Tour moves to the Midwest in June. The FireKeeper Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Mich., opens the swing on June 7-9. The tour moves to Decatur, Ill., on June 13-15 for the Decatur-Forsyth Classic presented by Tate & Lyle and Decatur Parks District. The Four Winds Invitational will be on June 20-22 in South Bend, Ind., and finishes in Harris, Mich., at the Island Resort Championship.
The Island Resort Championship has a $150,000 purse, while the other three are $100,000.
Rohanna stands 39th on the money list with $7, 143. She is second on tour in driving distance (259.976 yards) to Nicole Vandermade (260.763), although she hits fairways 67.7 percent of the time.
Rohanna is sixth in greens in regulation (74.3 percent), but is 61st in putt per GIR. She ranks 148th in putts at 32.95 per round.
She is 43rd in scoring average at 73.571 strokes per round.
It’s those positive numbers that has Rohanna upbeat for the remainder of the Symetra Tour season.
“I think I have a great chance for the top 10 (and the accompanying full-time status on the LPGA Tour),” said Rohanna. “I think $35,000 is a good number (for the top 10). I have a couple good finishes and I’m right up there.
“I feel I can win a tournament or two. I’m leaving 6-to-20 footers (on the green) every single time just short. I’m working on getting extra revolution (on her putts). That’s how close I am every week.
“I’m staying patient.”