The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
NCAA Central Regional - Day Three
Charlie Bull Posts Top-20 Finish at NCAA Regionals
May 19 | Men's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In his first NCAA Regional event, University of Akron sophomore golfer Charlie Bull posted the low round of the day and tied for the second-lowest round of the event to finish tied for 19th place at 2012 NCAA Central Regional Championship on Saturday.
Bull, the first Akron golfer to qualify for the postseason since the men's golf team moved to Division I in 1980, torched the front-nine to the tune of 5-under 31 en route to his career-low tying round of 5-under 66. He also posted a round of 5-under 66 during the second round of the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (Sept. 24) during the fall campaign.
"It is pretty awesome to finish in the top-20 after a tough first round," Bull said. "I had to work hard to get back into the mix and was glad with the result. Today may have been the most frustrating 66 I've ever had as I missed a few putts that could have pushed my round as low as a 63. Otherwise, it was a great round."
For the tournament, Bull finished with a three-round tally of even-par 213. His round helped him climb 19 spots, the biggest move up the leaderboard on the final day. However, he will not advance to the NCAA Championship event as Albin Choi, of North Carolina State, won the individual regional title with a 10-under 68 to earn the lone individual qualifying spot.
"I think this is a great stepping stone for our program and I am excited about the future," Bull said. "We have a lot of good golfers returning next year and have some great golfers joining the program. My goal now is to help my team reach the regionals next season."
Bull started the round on the 10th tee and immediately came out on fire, posting birdies on the 10th and 13th holes. He would then make the turn at even par after three bogeys, a par and a birdie.
The front nine was much kinder to Bull as he carded three birdies and an eagle to return to the clubhouse with the top round of the day. Bull eagled the par-5, 554-yard third hole and posted birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth holes to conclude the round and his sophomore campaign.
"Today was a fun day of golf to watch. It was a round that could conservatively been as low as a 63 because of a couple of missed putts," Akron men's golf coach David Trainor said. "He hit the ball great, with a few hiccups, but he had them at the right time and they didn't hurt his round."
USC finished as the regional team medalist, concluding the tournament with a 54-hole score of 11-under 841.
Bull and the Zips will return to action when they kick of the 2012-13 season in September.
