Kaitlyn Rohrback, armed with a strong Junior golf background, collected her first major title at the next level when she built a 3-up lead through eight holes against 2008 champion Caroline Sweet and went on to a 4-and-3 conquest to capture the 89th Maryland State Women's Amateur championship at Sparrows Point Country Club in eastern Baltimore County, July 22.
The two Crofton Country Club members played on fairly even terms in the early going, but the momentum swung to Rohrback when she birdied the sixth (eight feet) and eighth (conceded) holes. "I hit my best drive of the week at eight and followed with a strong iron shot," she said. Sweet drove behind a tree, reached the green in three, missed a long putt and picked up,Sweet got on track at the 10th where she hit fairway and green and won with a par, but her opponent proceeded to take charge. She won with a par at the 11th and birdied the 12th after a "knocked-down 9-iron" shot to "gimme range." The lead went to 5 up with a winning bogey at 13, followed by Sweet's final salvo. She hit two superb shots at the 465-yard 14th, pitched to four feet and made birdie.
Rohrback hit the green on the par-3 15th, putted up to the hole and Sweet who was already lying three conceded.
"I played really solid and put myself in the proper position," said Rohrback,18, who starts her freshman year at the University of Tennessee next month. "My approach shots were dead-on all week and I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities." She was using an old driver that had lost some of its "spring," but the casual observer would not have noticed. The two 5-foot-4 players banged out long drive after long drive -- in the fairway for the most part -- although Sweet's driver got in trouble after the good early start.
"I started mishitting it," reported the 20-year-old William & Mary junior from Bowie. "When you get an opening, especially against someone that good, you have to take advantage. I didn't when I needed to and then she shut the door." Relentless was the word for the slim champion's play as she just didn't give Sweet too many opportunities to get back in the game.
This marked only the second time Rohrback had played in this event -- the other was when she was 14 and went to the semifinals -- but she was an active campaigner in Junior tournaments and hit one of the highlights this past spring when she won the individual Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship, beating a field of 97 boys and one other girl.
It wasn't a totally disheartening week for the Sweet household. Younger brother Jordan, 16 and a DeMatha senior, won the 51st Bobby Gorin three-day tournament at Woodmont CC, then caddied for his sister in the final. He will continue his busy week when he plays for Maryland in the Maryland State Junior Invitational, July 24-25, against Virginia and West Virginia at the Pete Dye Course in W. Va.
Flight results:
First -- Lisa Schlesinger, Norbeck, d. Kelly Lynch, Chartwell CC, 1 up
Second -- Haeun Lee, Beaver Creek CC, d. Bonnie Fry, Maryland G&CC, 2 & 1
Third -- Airielle Dawson, CC Woodmore, d. Emily Kwak, Argyle CC, 3 & 2
Fourth -- Khushboo Thiagaraj, Nothwest Park GC, d. Deborah Bosdosh, Holly Hills CC, 2 & 1
Fifth -- Sharon Pusin, Suburban Club, d. Diane Crowley, Bowie G&CC, 5 & 4
Reported by John Stewart from Sparrows Point CC
Runner Up Caroline Sweet pictured with Officers in Charge Diane Herndon and Bonnie Lennox
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