Rachel Rohanna needed to beat the heat. She had a ton of confidence from a 25-foot birdie putt on the first hole and importantly, a touch of luck.
During a muggy first round of stroke play, Rohanna, an all-Big Ten player at Ohio State, set a U.S. Women’s Amateur scoring record with a 7-under 65, during which the heat index approached triple digits.
Waynesburg, Pa., resident said, “If it didn’t hit that hole, it probably would have been a good 5 feet by. I was getting lucky on a few shots and I was playing for the center of the green I played well, but I’d say that it was a lot of luck.”
With a 68, Brooke Pancake, of Chattanooga, Tenn, finished as conditions eased slightly with some cloud cover and a slight breeze in the afternoon. Pancake, struck the middle of the green on No. 11, last week and played in triple-digit temperatures in the women’s collegiate championships in Dahlonega, Ga.
Pancake said, “The back side had some crucial holes where you can throw up some high scores. But I just stayed in the moment and picked a target and swung — and if I hit it well, great, and if I didn’t, then just go to the next shot.”
Jaclyn Sweeney, a senior at Arizona State from Andover, Mass., and Girls junior champion Doris Chen of Bradenton, Fla., were at 3-under. younger sister of LPGA Tour player Morgan Pressel, Madison Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla., shot 4-over 76.
The 18-hole women’s amateur mark of 66 was previously shared by Kellee Booth (1998), Natalie Gulbis (1999) and Amanda Blumenherst (2008).
In this U.S. Golf Association event, to match play after a second day of stroke play Tuesday, Sixty-four of 156 players will advance, concluding with a 36-hole final on Sunday.
Tags: Brooke Pancake, Rachel Rohanna, U.S. Women's Amateur, women's collegiate championships