Oakmont pro Devin Gee wins 112th West Penn Open
As Devin Gee approached the final green of the 112th West Penn Open on Wednesday, he trailed Robert Rohanna by two strokes.
Girlfriend and caddie Katie Miller told Gee: “Give yourself a chance.”
He knew if he birdied the final hole, he could put pressure on Rohanna, who still had to play the difficult Nos. 17 and 18 at the Longue Vue Club.
Gee sank the 22-foot birdie putt and waited patiently.
It was well worth the wait for the Oakmont Country Club pro as Rohanna struggled on the final two holes, bogeying No. 17 before catching a bad break and scoring triple-bogey on No. 18, which allowed Gee to win the West Penn Open and become the fourth Oakmont pro to do so.
Gee shot a 2-under-par 68 to finish the 54-hole event with a 2-under 208, two strokes better than returning champion Mike Van Sickle.
Van Sickle, who won in 2013 and '15, had two four-putts during his final 10 holes that cost him three strokes.
Rohanna, who plays on the PGA Tour Latino America and is from Waynesburg, allowed Gee to join Oakmont C.C. pros Bob Ford, Lew Worsham and Emil Loeffler Jr. Many others associated with Oakmont also have their names on the historic trophy.
Rohanna finished third at 211, a shot better than Penn-Trafford graduate Dan Obremski.
“I feel badly for Robert. We've all been there,” Gee said. “You hate to see that happen, but being able to join Bob, Lew, Emil and Arnold (Palmer) on the trophy is pretty special. Winning this means a lot.”
Rohanna, who narrowly missed a par putt on No. 17, had 195 yards left with his second shot on No. 18. He hit an 8-iron over the green and out of bounds.
“I hit it too good,” Rohanna said. “I was planning for the 8-iron to go between 170 and 175 yards, and it went 195 and bounced over the green.
“The pin placement on No. 17 was ridiculous. Other than that, I felt I played really well all week.”
Gee said he sank a difficult 8-foot putt for par on No. 17.
“The key was staying patient all week,” Gee said. “The course was very demanding.”
The final round became of a four-horse race. Rohanna and Obremski started quickly and zoomed up the leaderboard, while second-round leader Van Sickle stumbled with bogeys on two of his first three holes.
Rohanna birdied Nos. 1 and 4. Obremski birdied No. 1, and after a bogey on No. 2, eagled No. 4. After a bogey on No. 6, Obremski scored back-to-back birdies to go to 2-under for the tournament,
“I got off to a good start and was playing well until No. 14,” Obremski said. “Then I got a little errant with my tee shots on Nos. 14, 17 and 18.
“I'm getting close, I just have to continue to work and stay at it. I'm going to Myrtle Beach (S.C.) for a few days to figure things out.”
Van Sickle, who began the final round at 3-under, got back to 3-under after birdies on Nos. 4 and 6. But a double-bogey on the par-4 ninth and a bogey on the par-5 15th — both times struggling with the putter — kept him from making a serious charge.
Meanwhile, Gee continued to stay patient. He birdied No. 12 to reach 2-under, but a bogey on No. 15 pushed him back to 1-under.
The best round of the day was turned in by Greensburg's Kevin Fajt, who shot a 3-under 67 and finished tied for 11th. Fajt recently qualified for the U.S. Amateur.
Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.
