Rohanna ready for final stage of LPGA Q School

Allowing her golf clubs lie idle for a while is nothing new to Rachel Rohanna.
The Waynesburg Central graduate is not concerned about a nearly two-month layoff as she prepares for what just might be the biggest tournament of her young professional career, Stage III of LPGA Q School.
“This is not the longest I’ve gone,” explained Rohanna, who last played in the second stage of LPGA Q School in late September-early October. “In college (at Ohio State), we took off from October to February.”
Rohanna routinely took time off from the golf course in high school. Except for the occasional junior tournament, she gave golf a break after the close of the high school season (which, for Rohanna, was after the PIAA Championship) before she picked up her glove as a member of the Lady Raider softball team.
“If I weren’t able to take a break, it would be hard physically on my body,” said Rohanna. “I had to find a good balance. I knew in high school I had to pace myself.
“Of the top 30 when I played junior golf, ten are playing and 20 are not. Great golfers start to play their best in their late 20s, early 30s.”
Rohanna added a now familiar warning about specializing at an early age.
“Do not let your kids just play one sport. They need to be more rounded. Softball was good for me because you really have to work as a team,” said Rohanna.
The respite comes to an end next week when Rohanna returns to the golf course in a SunCoast Professional Golf Tour event on Nov. 19-21 held at the LPGA International’s Hills course in Daytona Beach, Fla. She stays in Daytona Beach the following week for another 3-round tournament on the International’s Jones course from Nov. 24-26.
Rohanna returns home for the Thanksgiving holiday, but returns to Daytona Beach at the end of the week to prepare for Stage III.
The courses are familiar to Rohanna because the LPGA International hosted Stage II of Q School and are the home courses for Stage III.
“I played well on the two courses. I think 20-under is not out of reach,” said Rohanna. “One score obviously is not going to make it or fail.”
The final stage of Q School is played over five rounds, 90 holes of golf, from Wednesday, Dec. 3, to Sunday, Dec. 7, with a cut after the fourth round. Jaye Marie Green won Stage III last year at 29-under, while the cut for full status was a two-way tie for 19th at 6-under.
“It’s a 5-day event. I’ve never done a 5-day event before. Q School is the longest week ever,” said Rohanna. “I think 20 girls get a (LPGA) card, so it’s around 1-of-10 get a card.”
Rohanna played in 17 events in her second Symetra Tour season, finishing in the top 10 three times and 48th on the money list with earnings of $14,906. The Ohio State graduate learned a lot in her second professional season.
“I played decent the whole year. I know one shot does not derail a round. I played the entire season for a 90-hole tournament. The entire season is relying on 90 holes,” said Rohanna.
With that in mind, Rohanna understands all that surrounds being on top her game over five rounds.
“It’s hard mentally to block it out of your mind. There are a lot of little things I don’t even want to think about. It can drag you down mentally and then physically,” explained Rohanna.” I get stressed out more, but I’m more likely to let it go (now).”
Rohanna views Stage III as the next tournament and felt Stage II carried more pressure.
“I played in Stage I and II before (but did not advance to Stage III). There was more pressure in Stage II,” said Rohanna, who thanked Joe Hardy for his assistance as she gets her career off the ground. “In high school, I was expected to win everything. There was a lot of pressure. The hardest round to get out of was the sectionals.”
Rohanna was the medalist in all four sectionals, winning two WPIAL titles and finishing second twice in the district championship. She won two state crowns, finishing third as a senior and fourth as a sophomore.
Rohanna has been physically sound of late, but acknowledged that could quickly change with the most innocent action.
“I get physically drained first and then the mentality comes down. The physical game, it’s a struggle considering I’m as young as I am,” said Rohanna. “People don’t understand how much torque, how much injury on your body.
“The biggest thing for me is staying healthy. It’s just so random for me.”
Playing tournament golf eats up a lot of hours, so Rohanna has to be judicious when planning her workout regimen.
“I don’t work out on tournament days unless it’s a run after a bad day,” said Rohanna. “Cardio is not good for golf. We had a trainer (Annika Sorenstam’s trainer, actually) talk to us in March and he said not to isolate any muscles. I do pushups and jumping jacks. I love doing ‘Insanity.'”
One might think Rohanna’s hands would be full playing professional golf, but that’s far from the truth. She married Ethan Virgili in 2013 (which she planned through qualifying for and playing in the U.S. Open). The couple is building a house and she keeps tabs on the process. Rohanna also has ideas for her husband’s family business, Virgili Custom Meat.
“I’m a multi-tasker,” Rohanna said with a smile. “I have ideas how to get the butcher shop going better. My next project is a storefront. I don’t know how excited Ethan is about it. It’s good to get you mind off of things.”