Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA Regionals
Bucknell Men's Golf Opens with 317 at NCAA Regionals
5/14/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 14, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The Bucknell men's golf team opened up play in the NCAA Central Regional with a round of 317 on Thursday at The Club at Olde Stone. Playing for the first time since capturing the Patriot League championship 18 days ago, the Bison were led by a 77 from Brian Bartow (Rye, N.Y./Rye Neck) and 78s from Andrew Cohen (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) and Ben Mattingly (Fishers, Ind./Park Tudor).
Seeded at the bottom of the 14-team regional, that is where Bucknell stands after the first of three rounds. The Bison trail Austin Peay by two strokes and Middle Tennesse State by seven. The start of the opening round was delayed about 90 minutes due to rain, and the Bucknell fivesome started well. By the time all five Bison made the turn, the team sat in 10th place. But they experienced some troubles coming in and slipped back to 14th by the end of the day.
The Bison counted an 84 from Andrew Wallisch (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel), while Ryan Schneiter's (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) 86 was discarded.
Cohen entered the tournament coming off back-to-back victories at the Caves Valley Intercollegiate and the Patriot League Championship. He parred seven of his first nine holes, but the two others were double bogeys at No. 1 and No. 6. Cohen made a pair of birdies en route to a 38 on the inward nine, and he finished with a 78.
Bartow, who joined Cohen on the All-Patriot League Team, had a very strong round going until hitting a few rough spots on the back nine. He double-bogeyed the par-5 second hole, but came right back with a birdie at the par-3 third. Batow made another 2 at the par-3 eighth and made the turn at even par. His luck on the par threes ran out on No. 13, where a double bogey sent him to 3-over for the day, and bogeys on 15 and 17 left him with a 77.
Mattingly made nothing worse than bogey all day, shooting 3-over 39s on both sides.
Washington, the top seed in this region, took a commanding lead thanks in large part to a 5-under 67 from Nick Taylor. The Huskies posted a 6-under 282 as a team and lead Georgia Tech and UCLA by 10 shots. North Carolina State shot 294 and is 12 off the lead, while Louisville and Ole Miss are tied for fifth at 296.
The top five teams in each of the six regionals will advance to the final. Duke (298), East Tennessee State (299) and Ohio State (300) are all within four strokes of the No. 5 spot.
Taylor's 67 is good for a two-shot individual lead over Cameron Tringale of Georgia Tech. Nine players posted red numbers on Thursday, including two each from Washington and N.C. State.
In round two, Bucknell tees off at 8:30 a.m. (Central), starting on hole No. 10.
