Rohanna shoots 69 in Shell Championship first round
Robert Rohanna played a solid round of golf Thursday and was rewarded with a 2-under 69 in the opening round of the Shell Championship.
The Waynesburg Central graduate is tied for fifth in the PGA Tour Latinoamerica tour championship being played at the International Links Melreese Country Club in Miami, Fla., and sits two strokes behind co-leaders Kelvin Day and Case Cochran.
Rohanna opened with a bogey, but moved to 1-under with birdies on the third and seventh holes. He had a 3-putt for bogey the final hole to go out in even-par 35.
He carded two birdies on the back nine to come back in 2-under 34.
“I played a solid round. I had good lag putting,” said Rohanna.聽
Putting wasn’t the easiest thing to do on the Melreese Country Club greens.
“The greens here are unbelievable. They’re big, but they’re upside-down bowls,” explained Rohanna.
The wind also has an effect on play.
“It’s super windy. The course is attached to the airport. Three holes are downwind, three holes are upwind, and the other 12 holes are crosswind,” said Rohanna. “It’s a hard test. The wind was around 15 (mph) today. It was one of the easier days it’s played all week.
“(Shooting) under par here every day, you’re doing something right.”
Aside from the weather conditions, Rohanna is dealing with his balky thumb.
“Nothing’s easy for me out there right now,” said Rohanna. “I’m having issues with the thumb. It’s really hurting.
“I’m having closed face issues. It’s hard to work on things when you’re in the middle of playing.”
Rohanna added, “With all I went through in 2015, I want to finish strong. This is the last tournament of the year.”