Michelle Wie often attracts the deepest gallery at any ladies golf event. But Monday, at the LPGA Pro-Am at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, Kaitlyn Rohrback?s gallery dwarfed that of her world-renowned, teen counterpart.
Rorhback, 15, took part in Monday?s pro-am after defeating 16 other local teens in a skills competition playoff at Mountain Branch last month. The Crofton resident had a mixture of followers in tow, from photographers to fans to family.
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Some of them, though, she didn?t know. New fans, perhaps?
“Hopefully,” Rohrback said with a smile.
She?s hoping to improve in situations such as Monday.
“I have the game and everything,” she said. “I just don?t put that into my tournaments. That?s what I?m working on.”
Rohrback was paired with LPGA pro Minea Blomqvist of Finland, as well as amateurs Mike Valdron, David Levy and Marlene Weinberg. The group finished at 11-under par on the day.
“You know that girl is 15? She?s carrying us,” Levy said while the quintet was approaching the 16th green.
Rohrback made no secret of her desire to someday play on the LPGA Tour. Blomqvist saw loads of potential in her Monday playing partner.
“Everything looked so simple, and she has great talent,” Blomqvist said. “She?s got a good putting stroke, a very nice touch with the game. It was so nice to see because her body was relaxed over the ball, and I was trying to learn from that because I?ve been kind of tense lately.”
Rohrback said she?d be pulling for Blomqvist this week, and is likely to return for the weekend. First, though, she has to get through some finals at Archbishop Spalding.
“I?m exempt for English, so I?m only missing biology,” Rohrback said.
She?ll make up that exam on Friday. In between, she?ll spend time basking in the glow of her experience at Bulle Rock.
“This is just amazing,” Rohrback said from the clubhouse, gazing out over the course while the sun began to set. “It?s a beautiful golf course, and the people here are amazing. They were so nice to me.”
