LANCASTER, Pa. — Two-time Epson Tour winner and Pennsylvania native Rachel Rohanna had the honor of hitting the first tee shot on Thursday at the 79th U.S. Women’s Open presented Ally.
Rohanna, who has held both LPGA and Epson Tour status since turning professional, hails from Marianna, Pa., and was in the first group that teed off at 6:45 a.m. for the first round of the second major championship of the 2024 season. For Rohanna, the early-morning moment now ranks pretty high on her list of golf achievements, particularly as her friends, her family and even her children were there to watch her shine as the sun came up at Lancaster Country Club.
“In Pennsylvania, the U.S. Women's Open and Carol Semple Thompson announcing. How much cooler can you get?” said Rohanna of her opening tee shot. “Unfortunately, I hooked it a little bit, but you know what? I got off the tee, and I was able to have a swing at the second shot. It was really special, really cool. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
The U.S. Women’s Open hasn’t been contested in the Keystone State since the event was last held at Lancaster Country Club nine years ago in 2015. With no annual Epson Tour stop in Pennsylvania – the circuit on which Rohanna competes these days – it’s rare for Rohanna to get to play in front of a hometown crowd. Not only did that make her first shot of the round on Thursday morning that much sweeter, but it’s made this entire experience an enjoyable one for Rohanna, who is teeing it up in her first U.S. Women’s Open since 2019.
“I’m from Western P.A., so I still had about a three-and-a-half, four-hour drive, but to be the lone Pennsylvanian here, it's really cool,” said Rohanna. “To have the whole family come out, too. It's been really neat. We've had such a great turnout in general with spectators. I’m excited to be here and to be doing this in Pennsylvania.”
The 33-year-old is an LPGA Mom and has two daughters – six-year-old Gemelia and eight-month-old Greenlee, who was born last September. It can be a challenge balancing life as a professional athlete and motherhood, but it’s a journey that Rohanna is more than used to having had her first child back in 2018.
And nothing stops her from fulfilling that mom role for her two little girls, not even a major championship like the U.S. Women’s Open.
“It’s chaos. You juggle everything. There’s nothing that’s balanced. You don’t know where you’re going to be, what you’re going to be doing,” said Rohanna. “Today, on the 12th hole, when there was a four-group backup, I was changing a dirty diaper. It's great. Yes, it is chaotic, and with my husband's job, too.
“It takes a village. Our families are both heavily involved with helping us. I really wouldn't have it any other way. They're both just so sweet. They're such good kids. To have them out here this week is even more special.”
Rohanna carded a 6-over 76 in the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open. She will go off No. 10 at Lancaster Country Club on Friday at 12:30 p.m. local time.
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