Rollins encouraged by strong finish at Buick Open
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- John Rollins could be excused for having a sense of déjà vu on Sunday at the Buick Open.
A year ago, he'd made the cut at Warwick Hills on the number, then shot 10 under on the weekend to finish in a tie for fifth. Rollins had a little more breathing room through two rounds this year, but the end result was strikingly similar after Sunday's 65.
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"It's just that kind of golf course," he explained. "If you get it going, you can kind of just make a charge and then the birdies can just come as many as you want. They just seem to keep going in."
When Rollins finished his round of 7 under he was just one stroke off the lead. Trouble was the leaders still had 14 holes to play on a generous golf course that was handing out birdies with regularity.
Still, Rollins couldn't be too disappointed with his first top-10 of the season.
His round included eight birdies, including a bomb of a 37-footer on the sixth hole to get him started. Of course, he gave the stroke back with a bogey on the par-5 seventh, but birdies on the next three holes got Rollins back on track.
"It's been soft all week but it's a little softer today so the greens are spinning a little bit more," he said. "I found early on it was tough to get the ball close to the hole. You have to be so perfect with where you land it with the right amount of spin and everything to get the ball close to the hole.
"I really wasn't doing a good job of that. I spun a couple off the greens when I had scoring opportunities. But as the round went on, I kept hitting good shots close enough to the holes and I made the putts."
After Rollins finished, he planned to have lunch, watch the tournament on TV and "hope for the best. I'm sure it will be just a little short, but all in all a good week." His chance at victory ended when Brian Gay posted 16 under, but those rounds of 64 and 65 were definitely confidence boosters.
"I'd like to have day one and three back, but I played good those days as well," Rollins said. "I just couldn't get the putts that I made the second and fourth day. So all in all, I'm very pleased."
Rollins won't get to relax very long. He will compete in a 36-hole qualifier for the British Open at TPC Michigan on Monday and then fly to Bethesda, Md., to play in the AT&T National on Thursday.
Most of all, Rollins is looking forward to the second half of the year. He came into the 2008 season 40 pounds lighter and it's taken him awhile to synch his swing with his newly svelte body.
"It was a significant change in the way my body moves," said Rollins, who shed the pounds on a Weight Watchers program. "It was a change I wanted to make, needed to make, but I probably didn't stop to think how can it change my game or is it going to change my game and what I needed to watch for.
"The first four months of the season, I think I struggled because of inconsistencies because of that. I've worked hard on it and my swing had gotten a lot better, back to where I feel like I should be. Who knows. We'll see."
After all, there's a lot at stake over the last few months of the regular season. Rollins currently ranks 102nd in the FedExCup race. Not to mention, this is a Ryder Cup year and Rollins is a distant 66th.
That said, U.S. Captain Paul Azinger engineered a change in the selection process to allow four picks to complete his 12-man team. Rollins really needs to get on a hot streak to impress, though.
"I did a good thing health-wise and career-wise, but unfortunately it's a Ryder Cup year so it kind of put me behind the 8-ball," Rollins said. "But maybe I can make a strong charge these last 4, 5, 6 tournaments and hopefully, get an eye from Captain Azinger."
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