The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE pressure of carrying the Bahamas’ representation on her shoulders was a little too much for Georgette Rolle to handle at the second annual Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Golf Classic at the Ocean Golf Course on Paradise Island over the weekend.

As the temperature dropped from a hot sunny day to a windy one, so did Rolle’s performance as she was unable to improve on her 10-over-par 83 on Thursday, posting an 84 on Friday. Her two-day total of 167 wasn’t good enough to move up the standings to make the cut of 71 for the final two days of competition.

She sat in good company looking in at the rest of the tournament on Saturday and Sunday with defending champion Ilhee Lee, who was also one of the casualties with her rounds of 74-74-148.

As the lone representative for the Bahamas, 28-year-old Rolle admitted that while she gave it her best shot, she was disappointed that she wasn’t able to perform much better than she did.

“It was a great experience. I was happy that I teed off early this morning to miss this part of the wind,” said Rolle of her performance on Friday.

“But I hit a lot of great shots today. I just didn’t make some putts today.

“I made a few mistakes and those mistakes were really costly. But overall, I think I played so much better today, but it just didn’t show up in the scores.”

Battling a case of the flu as well, Rolle acknowledged that when you don’t make the right decisions on the course, it comes back to haunt you.

“If I could have made one or two better decisions today, I think I could have knocked off a number of strokes in my score. But it’s all a mental game. I just have to learn to think better next time.”

As the first tournament for the year on the LPGA calendar, Rolle said she felt the pressure of playing before the home crowd.

“I guess I put a lot of weight on my shoulders,” she said. “I think I felt the pressure because this is the most difficult tournament that I would have for the year playing here at home.

“I wanted to play very well this year, but in my future practices, I think I have to learn to play better in the windy conditions. If I can correct the mistakes I made, I think everything will go much better for me.”

While her rivals had nothing to lose, except a ranking and a hefty pay cheque, Rolle knew that there was a lot more riding on her being successful than anybody else.

“I really wanted to perform well at home, but as I consider myself a champion, I think I played like a champion,” said the two-time Bahamas national amateur champion in 2003 and 2007. “But I think I went out there and I performed my best.”

With the season still in its infancy stage, Rolle said there’s a lot of work for her to do.

“I could definitely work on my shorter game,” she said. “I could have placed them a lot closer. Normally that’s one of the strengths of my game, but if I can work on that, I will be okay. I hit a lot of my tee shots. Out of 14 on the fairway, I think I hit about 12 of them. I also need to work on my putting.”

Despite not making any strong statement in the tournament, her caddie male professional player Ricardo Davis said he was still pleased with her effort.

“It’s a small country, but she had a very heavy burden to carry,” he said. “Golf is not a big a sport as other sports in the country right now, but I think with her coming back home and helping to build on the junior programme, I think we will be able to see an improvement as she works towards qualifying for the Olympic Games.”

Davis, a former national amateur teammate of Rolle, said he was delighted when she asked him to assist her. He said they knew each other from the time they started playing together as juniors more than a decade ago.

“I’m a player and I have tournaments that I’m going to be playing in overseas, but whenever I can, I will be happy to lend her my assistance,” said Davis, who also intends to play again at the end of February.

Rolle, a graduate of Texas Southern where she served as an assistant coach since 2007 for the men’s and women’s golf teams, is also an LPGA teaching and club professional Class A member.

Rolle, who started her professional career in 2008, is hoping to return to international play in February.

“I know a lot of these ladies because I played with a number of them,” she said. “But I think if I can add one of two more events and get a chance to work with my caddie, whoever that is, I think I can play a whole better.”

She thanked the Ministry of Tourism for affording her the opportunity to be able to play in the tournament with a sponsored exemption. She also expressed her thanks to those who supported her on the sidelines during her two rounds.

“Thank you for everyone who were responsible for allowing me to play in this tournament,” Rolle said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to represent my country at home, which was on the highest stage possible.