In talking with Archbishop Spalding golfer Kaitlyn Rohrback earlier this week, the senior had so many interesting things to say that not everything would fit into the print version of Thursday's Q&A, so here is a little more with the Tennessee-bound Rohrback, who won this spring's MIAA golf tournament over 98 other players -- 97 of them boys.
Question: How did you get started playing golf?
Answer: When we moved into this house, which the golf course is right there (points out her kitchen window), my dad started playing again, because he hadn’t played in a while. Then I took it up and I really liked it and I was pretty good at it, so I just continued with it
Q: When did you get serious about it?
A: When I was about 10, because I quit gymnastics which I did pretty intensely and I really focused on golf and started playing in tournaments.
Q: What did you like about it?
A: It’s different from all other sports because you don’t have a team and you don’t have a coach telling you when to be at practice. You do it all on your own time, so it’s just very independent, but then you meet a lot of good people and you make friends that are going to last a while. It’s by yourself but it’s not by yourself.
Q: When did you start gymnastics?
A: When I was really, really little, like 5. I did tumbling classes when I was really little. I was decent at gymnastics and I liked it and I had a lot of friends who did it. Then it got too much and it was a lot of practice and I liked golf a lot better.
Q: When you get out on the course what is it that you like about the game itself?
A: I like being outside a lot. It’s really peaceful. It’s not a crazy, yelling sport. You have a lot of time to think in between shots and really plan what you’re going to do. There’s so many things you can do with a golf ball. It’s not just the same shot over and over.
Q: Are your Spalding teammates supportive?
A: Yes.
Q: Were you always accepted in to the Spalding team?
A: Yes, I think so just because my freshman year I played No. 3. It was kind of known that I was going to be on that team a while, so there was no point in trying to make me not feel welcome.
Q: What about the guys you’ve played against?
A: Nobody’s mean to me. Nobody’s just blatantly rude, but I can tell that they don’t want to play me. They just don’t want to lose to a girl, because it kills their ego.
Q: Did you feel you had a good chance to win the MIAA championship?
A: For the past couple years, I’ve always thought I had a good chance, but I just played awful, so I wasn’t setting my expectations too high, because that’s what I’ve done the past two years and I’ve played awful the first round, haven’t make the cut, so I went into it just trying to play it one shot at a time and I played really, really well the first day. Then the second day, I was tied for the lead with two other people. One of them was a Spalding player, Alex Eaker. It was better than years past because they were chasing me and I wasn’t trying to fight back and pick up shots. I could play very conservatively. I didn’t have to just make birdies, I just had to get on the green and two-putt and just keep making pars.
Q: Why did you choose Tennessee?
A: They have awesome practice facilities and their coaches are really great. I just like the school. Knoxville’s a really good place. It’s a big school which I wanted and it’s south and their golf team is really, really good. They’re at the national golf championships right now. I visited and I knew I wanted to go there.
Q: What other schools did you look at?
A: I didn’t really have a top five. I looked at a lot of SEC schools.
Q: What are you trying to improve about your game? What are you going to work on most this summer?
A: I need to get a little bit more distance and then improve my iron play, my second shot to get them closer to the pin, so I can make some more birdies.
Q: What are you going to do this summer?
A: I have some tournaments. Not as many as I have the past few summers, because I don’t want to be burned out come fall when I’m playing for college. I’m going to play one AJGA, and then some Maryland state events and then my USGA qualifiers.
Q: Any vacation?
A: We might go to Myrtle Beach. We have a condo in Myrtle Beach, so hopefully we’ll go down there at least once. And the AJGA tournament is kind of turning into a vacation because it’s in Hilton Head, which is gorgeous place.
Q: Has your dad (Brian Rohrback) been your biggest fan?
A: Yeah. He’s done everything. He’s carted me around the entire country and taken me to every golf tournament I’ve wanted to go to. He’s been great. I couldn’t have done any of this without him.
Q: What’s the biggest event you’ve ever won?
A: I won two AJGA events, so probably one of those. One was last summer and one was the summer before that and I tied for first in another one and lost in the playoff.
Q: Did you qualify for the US Amateur?
A: I did.
Q: Did you play in that?
A: I did. I missed the cut by two strokes. I think. It was a good experience. It got me playing a lot better I think, gave me some confidence that I can play well.
Q: Are you superstitious?
A: I have lucky charms and stuff. I have a ball marker that I like to use. I think it’s lucky.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I go hunting and fishing with my dad, more hunting that fishing.
Q: What do you hunt?
A: Waterfowl, geese and ducks. We go hunting on the Eastern Shore.
Q: Are you as good a shot with a gun as you are with a golf club?
A: No, not at all. I am not good (laughs), but I like it. I like being outside.
