Rachel Rohanna called her husband, Ethan, on Monday afternoon at LPGA International just before a practice round at the Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament and she wound up finding out what her Christmas present is.
It’s about seven months old, 800 pounds, is black with a white face and is “really cute” according to Rohanna. Yes, her husband purchased a new heifer (female cow that hasn’t had a calf) registered as “Bailey”, but will be raised as “Daytona” in honor of Rohanna’s Epson Tour Championship win at LPGA International in October.
“Now I have to get a good gift for him,” joked Rohanna. “Maybe I’ll get her (Daytona) a boyfriend.”
It’s becoming a tradition for Rohanna, who raises cattle on their farm 'ERV Cattle' with her husband in southwestern Pennsylvania. The tradition started three years ago when she picked up her first professional win at the Sara Bay Classic and used her winnings ($15,000) to purchase a heifer and named it “Sara Bay”.
In case you’re wondering how “Sara Bay” is doing here is the update.
“She is doing really well, she had a calf this past year that is one of our best yet,” said Rohanna, who turned pro in 2013 after playing college golf at Ohio State. “We actually named her calf, Valentina, because she was born on Valentine's Day.”
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, February is going to be absolute mayhem on the farm. The couple is expecting 80 new calves due in a span of three days.
I’ll let that sink in for a second. 80 in three days.
“I told him he’s crazy, I don’t know what he’s going to do when they are all having babies and he’s running around,” explained Rohanna. “Including our momma cows, our heifer’s from this year and our steers we will have close to 200. We had nine six years ago, it’s crazy but I love it.”
While Ethan is busy raising the offspring, Rachel hopes to have a regular spot on the LPGA Tour.
The good news is that she obviously likes the Jones Course, a lot. The bad news is she can’t remember the last time she broke 70 on the Hills Course, where she’ll need to play three rounds to finish in the top 20. The final-round after the cut is on the Hills Course.
“It (Jones) hasn’t changed much since October besides the greens are much firmer, but they are also a lot smoother,” said Rohanna. “I think the Jones Course suits my game more because I can hit driver on most holes and have wedges in versus Hills where you have a lot of tricky tee shots. Most girls say this (Jones) is where you need to score and over there you have to play a little more conservatively.”
In nine starts on the LPGA in 2017, she finished No. 139 on the money list so she retained some status. She feels free with less pressure knowing she’ll get at least a few starts regardless of how she does this week.
“I know all you have to do is get in one event and make money and get into the reshuffle and I feel like I’m playing well enough where it will only take one week,” said Rohanna. “It’ll be my third year on LPGA so I’m getting to that point where I have plenty of experience.”
She hopes her self-described “Dr. Seuss” golf bag – filled with a hodge-podge of Callaway shafts and clubs some that she’s used since she was a kid – gets her into the top 20.
Once she’s done in Daytona, she’ll head back to Pennsylvania and the farm (it’s harvest season) and say hello to her new heifer, Daytona.
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