Rosales learns from playoff exposure

She had a chance to win the tournament on the second playoff hole.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORTER
VIENNA -- To make a shot, you must be able to swing the club.
Because of extreme pressure and nervousness, Jennifer Rosales almost forgot that basic rule.
On the 18th hole in the final round of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic Sunday at Squaw Creek Country Club, Rosales needed to make an 8-foot putt to put her into the four-way sudden death playoff with Annika Sorenstam, Lori Kane and Rachel Teske.
After measuring the shot for several minutes, Rosales lined up and made the putt, pumping her fists and looking up at the sky, nodding her head. It didn't look like it from the outside, but inside Rosales was fearing the worst.
"It was nerve-racking," she said. "I couldn't even take [the club] back to swing. But after that, I was fine."
Learning the hard way
Despite the high-pressure shot, she didn't win the playoff, as Rachel Teske defeated the other three golfers on the third hole of the playoff with a 20-foot putt for birdie.
But Rosales, the youngest and least experienced of the three, was in contention until Teske's shot rattled in the hole. She has never won an LPGA Tournament and prior to the Giant Eagle Classic, had a career-high finish of third at last year's British Open.
To go from relative obscurity to being paired with Annika Sorenstam in the final round of a tournament -- with a chance to win -- is quite a journey.
After tying a then-tournament record with a round of 64 Saturday, Rosales began Sunday's final round bogeying two of her first three holes. But she came back strong to birdie holes 6, 8, 10, 14, 17 and 18 to finish regulation at 12-under-par 204.
And, as if trying to work her way up the leaderboard after taking a slight drop wasn't hard enough for Rosales, she had to deal with the massive crowds and the pressure of playing with the world's top woman's golfer in Sorenstam.
"It was tough to get used to on the first few holes, but I hung in there," she said. "I'll take this experience and move on."
A little to the left
The four-way playoff started on the 18th hole, with Rosales making par. It then moved to the 10th hole, where she had a chance to win the tournament.
After two strong shots, Rosales missed a 12-foot putt as the ball went slightly left of the hole. She was visibly upset, as it meant the golfers had to return to the 18th for a third try to get a winner.
"I had a feeling I was going to make it," she said of her potential-tournament winning putt. "I got too excited and I just didn't make it. I had a chance. I blew it, but it's not the end of the world. That's the way it is."
Tournament winner Teske realized the chance that opened up after Rosales' miss.
"When [Rosales] missed the putt, I said to my caddy Shawn, 'Let's make the most of this opportunity.' "
Rosales, a Manilla, Philippines native, was one of the more recognizable players at the tournament. Saturday, she wore a bright-red shirt with a matching headband. Sunday, the outfit was bright green instead of red.