Strong finish pushes Rohanna to 1-under
Rachel Rohanna hadn’t made the cut in an LPGA Tour event since the first weekend of May, but the Waynesburg Central graduate not only advanced to the third round of the Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning and O-I, she moved up the leaderboard with another strong finish.
Rohanna birdied three of the final six holes Saturday for a 2-under 69. She is in a 5-way tie in 36th place at 1-under 212 heading into today’s final round.
Rohanna will be paired with Sakura Yokomine with a 10:40 a.m. tee time.
Hyo Joo Kim stands atop the leaderboard through three rounds with a 15-under 198.
“I putted really well today. I gave myself some good looks to roll in birdies,” said Rohanna. “I definitely think (the strong finish) carries over. I finished on a good note.
“I’m glad I finished how I did.”
Rohanna has been solid on the greens throughout the tournament. She needed just 24 putts in the opening round, and 28 in both the second and third rounds.
She also closed strong in the first round with four birdies on the same final six holes.
Rohanna has carded nine birdies through the first three rounds, allowing her to not only play in the final round at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, but also help out those hit by devastating floods in West Virginia.
Rohanna is partnering with 84 Lumber and Nemacolin to donate $100 each for a sum total of $300 for each birdie she has from the Marathon Classic through the end of the LPGA Tour season.
“It’s $2,700 so far in three days,” Rohanna said of her nine-birdie total. “I came to them (84 Lumber and Nemacolin). I didn’t realize how bad it was. People need Rhinos, four-wheel drives, boats just to get to work. People need help to deliver goods.
“It feels good to get some birdies,” said Rohanna, adding with a laugh, “Hopefully, I’ll make enough birdies to make the donation.”
The funds will be donated to the West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster’s (WV-VOAD) general flood relief fund.
“In a time of devastation, Rachel has taken it upon herself to help our West Virginia neighbors in any way she can,” said Maggie Hardy Magerko, President and Owner, 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, in a press release. “As part of the 84 and Nemacolin family, we are excited to cheer Rachel on and to match her donation efforts.”
Rohanna finished on the front nine in Friday’s second round with nine pars to make the cut at 1-over 143.
“It definitely felt good to make a cut,” explained Rohanna.
The third round was pretty mundane with one birdie, one bogey and nine pars through 11 holes. She had a bogey-5 on No. 12, but finished with birdies on Nos. 13, 17 and 18.
“The round was pretty much how it looked on the scorecard,” said Rohanna.
Rohanna has been bolstered by a large cheering section, some traveling from Greene County to the suburb of Toledo, others gathering from Buckeye Nation to follow the lone Ohio State University graduate in the field.