Rohanna Uses Blistering Back Nine for Open Lead
PRESTO, Pa. - Monday's opening round of the 100th Pennsylvania Open Championship was, by Robert Rohanna's standards, a quiet one. The 2010 champion of the event, which is presented by Allegheny Health Network, Rohanna finished fourth last year and second the year prior and has been a perennial contender for over a decade. But a first round 71 (-1) had him four shots off the pace among the talented field. However, the Waynesburg, Pa. professional roared back in round two, shooting a 7-under par 65 to claim the 36-hole lead at The Club at Nevillewood with a score of 136 (-8).
"I played really well today. But I played well yesterday, too, though my score didn't show it," Rohanna said. "I hit a lot of greens and made some putts today. The difference yesterday was I hit it just as good but didn't make the putts."
Rohanna holds a tenuous lead as the championship goes to the third and final round tomorrow. There are 11 players within four shots of the lead, including Sunnybrook Golf Club assistant professional Corey McAlarney, who followed up an opening round 69 with a 68 today for a two-round total of 7-under par. Like Rohanna, McAlarney credited his putter with his surge up the leaderboard.
"I've been hitting it well all year. My iron play and driver have been good. But putting is the biggest key to why I am where I'm at right now," McAlarney said.
In fact, McAlarney used some tips from his boss, Sunnybrook head golf professional Eric Schultz, to improve his putting game.
"Eric has given me some pretty good instruction on putting over the last week and a half," McAlarney said. "I'm just sticking with what he showed me because clearly it's working."
The two players are paired together in tomorrow's final round along with Oakmont Country Club head golf professional Devin Gee, who followed up a 68 yesterday with a 2-under par 70 today, putting him at 6-under. Gee came from behind to win the West Penn Open earlier this summer, and he'll have to do it again in round 3 to claim this championship.
While Rohanna made five birdies and an eagle in his round, he cited an opening run of six pars as vital to his success.
"It was nice to start with six pars," Rohanna stated. "It's tough to get close to some of those back pins here, so par was a good score."
But as he headed to the par-5 seventh hole, he knew he needed something to jump start his round. After a nice drive, Rohanna had 194 yards to the flag. There was a bit of wind in his face, but Rohanna smacked a 6-iron to 15 feet away. He then converted the eagle putt to get to 3-under for the championship, and he never looked back. On No. 8 and No. 9, he hit solid approach shots but couldn't convert the birdie putts. On the par-4 10th hole, Rohanna had a look from 15 feet for birdie but couldn't convert. But on No. 11, he dropped in his first birdie on the round. After two more pars, he knocked his approach on No. 14 to six feet and made another birdie. Confidence rising, he went to the par-5 15th, where his second shot was just over the green. He then chipped up to just under three feet and converted another birdie. After a nice par on No. 16, Rohanna then rolled in a 20-footer on 17 and another birdied on the closing 18th. That stretch gave him a score of 31 on the back nine, and 65 on the afternoon.
"I figured if I hit the ball well and made good putts, they would go in at some point, and that's what happened," said Rohanna.
While Rohanna has had years of success in this event, McAlarney is the opposite. He has qualified twice in five tries but this year marks the first time he's made the cut. Even more impressively, he did so at a course he'd never played.
"Not having seen the course kind of worked to my advantage," McAlarney said. "When you're not anticipating any hazards, it's nice to just be able to look out there and hit it. That really kept the nerves down, too."
Along with Gee, amateur Luke Miller, of St. Clair Country Club, is also at 6-under. Miller made six birdies to go along with four bogeys in his second round. After Miller, there is a seven golfers at 4-under par, including first round leader Cole Willcox, who shot a 73 in round two. The other golfers at -4 are professionals David Denlinger, Daniel Obremski, Tom Keenan and Stephen Wojnar, along with amateurs Thomas Steve and JD Hughes. Lurking at -3 is a group of four golfers that includes 1998 champion Stu Ingraham, who finished second in last year's championship.
The field was cut to the low 40 and ties after today's round. The cut line fell at 2-over par, which meant that 42 players will compete in the final round. For McAlarney, his mindset heading into day two was to give himself a chance in the final round, which he's done.
"For round one, I was just looking to put a good round together," McAlarney said. "But for day two, I wanted to get in position to get into the last group. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
That enthusiasm is matched by Rohanna, who is also excited by the prospect of winning another Pennsylvania Open in this, the historic 100th playing of the event.
"I'm playing well and hitting the ball well," Rohanna said. "I just want to keep doing what I'm doing."
The final pairing of Rohanna, McAlarney and Gee is slated to tee off at 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of The Club at Nevillewood for their hospitality during the championship.