Rohanna ‘recharging’ in preparation for final 3 tourneys

Life on the road is difficult, so taking a break with a trip home to plug in and get away from all the hustle of traveling from city to city is a welcome respite.
That’s just what Robert Rohanna is doing this week, opting out of the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to spend a few days with family and friends in Waynesburg before heading back to South America for the homestretch of his first season on tour.
“It’s pretty fantastic, even if it’s short-lived. It’s great,” said Rohanna of his trip home to Greene County as he headed to the airport in Tampa Tuesday evening. “The week was planned off. It was a good time to take a break.
“It gives me a chance to recharge, see my family and some buddies.”
Additionally, Rohanna wasn’t up to all the paperwork involved in playing in Brazil.
“I tried to get a visa, but they needed my passport and I knew I couldn’t do that because I was coming home,” said Rohanna, adding, “Argentina and Brazil require visas.”
The break comes on the heels of an impressive run by Rohanna that included two of his biggest paydays as a professional. The Waynesburg Central graduate finished tied for second last weekend in the Lexus Peru Open, earning $13,200 to move into fifth place on the Order of Merit with $44,497 in 12 starts.
More importantly, the earnings secured a spot in the top 10 on the money list that allowed him to skip right to the final stage of Q School. The final stage begins on Thursday, Dec. 11, with six rounds of golf closing on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at PGA National (Champion) in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The golfers also have three practice rounds before the tournament.
“Skipping to the final stage of Q School is a big deal,” explained Rohanna. “I can get into a good rhythm over the next two months.”
But, Rohanna still has a chance to skip Q School completely if he remains in the top five. He has a tenuous hold on the fifth spot, holding a slim advantage over fellow Americans Brad Hopfinger ($44,290) and William Kropp ($44,276).
Argentina’s Julian Etulain, who won the Peru Open, moved atop the Order of Merit with $87,719.
“The top money winner gets full status on the Web.com Tour. The 2-5 finishers get status for six events,” said Rohanna, who said the status on the Web.com Tour is reevaluated periodically. “I play for a win, I’m done. I got three chances at it.”
Rohanna flies out Monday for the 88th Hyundai-BBVA Chile Open in Santiago, Chile. The tour then closes in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the Personal Classic the final week of November and the VISA Open de Argentina presented by Peugeot on Dec. 1-7.
Rohanna has made seven cuts in the 12 events, but has been successful when he makes it to the weekend. He has two second-place finishes, one third, a fifth, an eighth place and was 11th so far, and that doesn’t include the second-place finish he and fellow American Daniel Mazziotta had at the Bridgestone America’s Golf Cup two weeks ago.
The second-place money did not count towards the Order of Merit.
“It’s not the two best weeks of golf, but the paydays have been pretty good. I’m not playing bad, by any means. I’m still doing well,” said Rohanna. “I’m hitting enough quality shots to score well.
“I’m driving well off the tee. I hit a lot of wedges. I can still hit wedges into the green a little better and make a few birdies.”
Playing such a variety of courses all over the southern hemisphere brings something different every week.
“The course we played on the west coast of Mexico was all Bermuda like Florida. Then, a couple hours away (by air) in Mexico City, the course had poa like California. It was bent grass in Argentina,” explained Rohanna. “Then, along the coastal plains, they have grass (paspalum) that can be watered with salt water.”
Then, there is the change in elevation.
“I play better at sea level, for sure. Every event I finished in the top 10 was at sea level,” said Rohanna. “At elevation, the ball goes too far. At 8,500 feet, the ball goes 15-20 percent further. It’s distance control. I’m still getting used to it.
“It takes my advantage off the tee (at elevation) away. Everyone hits it far at elevation.”
Away from the golf course, Rohanna also deals with getting from tournament to tournament and finding something to eat between rounds.
“It’s definitely a grind. The trip from Buenos Aires to Lima was about 2,000 miles. It was a nine-hour flight,” said Rohanna. “I fly a lot of red-eyes. With the time zones, I need a whole day to recover. It’s like flying to the West Coast, twice.
“My body is pretty beat down now. I’m a little sick. I’ve lost a little weight.”
As for eating, Rohanna said, “It’s like the new diner down the street. You go there every day and find something that’s good. No salads, you order food that’s cooked to make sure to kill the germs. I stay away from street vendors. There’s not a lot of healthy, nutritious stuff. I eat a lot of beef and chicken. When you order pasta, the sauce is hit or miss. There’s no marinara sauce.
“They love their ham and cheese. The orange juice is phenomenal. The hardest thing is breakfast. I want some crisp bacon and eggs over easy. The eggs are always runny. They serve a lot of bread. Everything tastes a little different, even the Domino’s pizza. You never know.”
The crowds are not quite the same as that are in the States.
“They’re a little more adamant, a little more fiery. They’ll rattle change or a cellphone goes off and they’re not quick to turn it off. They will move into your sight line on a putt. Not necessarily on purpose,” said Rohanna. “The events in Mexico are my favorites.”
Rohanna feels he’ll be ready for a big finish after his visit home.
“I’m not going to put any undue pressure on myself. I just want to play well and maybe squeeze in one more big win,” said Rohanna. “I’ll just let nature take its course.”