Wingate, N.C.----When Tim Bombosch came to Wingate University as a freshman student-athlete in the fall of 2016, he was a heralded amateur golfer from Oberhausen, Germany, who was ready to see the world.
 
Now, after a stellar fall season for the Bulldogs, Bombosch, a junior majoring in business mathematics and minoring in economics, is finally hitting his stride. He is not only a brilliant student with a 3.7 GPA, but he is one of the top golfers in NCAA Division II.
 
Bombosch will tell you it didn't come easy. First, there was the pull of the Bundesliga (highest level) national team in Germany. His teammates and coaches wanted him to continue his studies and play in Germany. Second, his family and friends wanted him closer to home.
 
When Bombosch was a senior in high school, "a coach in Germany came up to me and asked me if I was interested in going to the U.S.," he recalls. "I wasn't at first, but then I made a decision in June to go, and that coach got in touch with Wingate."
 
Benedict Gebhardt, a German playing at Wingate, told then-Bulldogs coach Corey Iacofano about Bombosch…and he was quickly signed to a scholarship.
 
"A big part in my decision to come to Wingate was that I knew (current Wingate captain) Philip Coles (also from Germany), and he made me feel confident that it was a good school with good people," Bombosch says.
 
Bombosch was "surprised" at how well he played the first semester he was at Wingate, when he posted a 71.6 scoring average and finished top 20 in all four tournaments. "The academic side was a bit of an adjustment," he says. "My English was OK when I got here, but it was hard for me to follow along in class sometimes. Still, it was a nice experience at Wingate. I made a lot of friends quickly."
 
His second semester was a different story. "I played some really poor golf," Bombosch says, noting that he was conflicted, and distracted, because of a few key people who wanted him to stay in Germany. "I was questioning myself (as to why he should stay in the U.S. to study and play) because we had such a great team with great practice facilities in Germany," Bombosch says.
 
It was not a question of money. Bombosch was on scholarship at Wingate and a college education is free in Germany. He debated leaving Wingate after his freshman year, but elected to stay when the Bulldogs hired veteran head coach John Hackney in the summer after his freshman season.
 
"I heard he was a really good coach, so when I got the E-Mail that he was going to take over, I said to myself: 'This might change things.' It just didn't feel right to stop studying in the U.S. I knew if I dug in, and if I got the right support, I could develop my game and improve. I got that with Coach Hackney. We starting playing in better tournaments, the atmosphere was great and we started going to other places."
 
The long-hitting Bombosch had flashes of brilliance in the fall of his sophomore year, but the pull of Germany was still great, and he seriously considered leaving at mid-semester. Hackney actually sat Bombosch out of the National Championship Preview at the end of the fall because he was planning to move back home. Bombosch booked his flight, but the morning he was supposed to leave, he walked into Hackney's office. The two had a long heart-to-heart talk about life, school, commitment and relationships. Ultimately, conversations with his coach and friends convinced him to cancel his flight.
 
"I had some very good friends here that I didn't want to leave and felt like the program was going in the right direction," Bombosch says. "Plus, the combination of playing golf and studying is much easier here than it is in Germany."
 
Bombosch had a better spring and made the All-Tournament team at the South Atlantic Conference Championships. The Bulldogs had a chance to win four of their final five tournaments and won the Richard Rendleman Invitational in Salisbury. They were also tied for the lead with nine holes left in the SAC Championships before finishing third.
 
He once again flirted with the idea of staying home for education and golf in Germany after the season, but the lure of a great schedule, his friends and coach brought him back to Wingate.
 
With all distractions gone, and a new level of commitment, Bombosch's game flourished in the fall of 2018.  He is averaging an NCAA era school-best 72.4 through four events, tying the school record of 66 on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, which hosts the Valspar PGA Tournament. He has helped the Bulldogs to a number 21 national ranking as well.
 
"I just made a commitment with myself and said: 'I am going to finish it!'" Bombosch says. "We now play a great schedule and I like to see all these places Coach takes us. I realized that this is an awesome opportunity, so I should keep going forward and make the best of it!"
 
Bombosch also said his living arrangement has helped him become a better person and player. He stays in Wingate's South Village with "three of my best friends," senior teammates Coles, Christian Pickerel and Connor Clark. "Now, I am enjoying every single day in America, on the course and at Wingate. My roommates keep me balanced, so I am loving life and playing better golf."
 
He even got to see New York over Thanksgiving, when he and good buddy/teammate Charles Joubert went home with freshman teammate Anthony Parziale, who hails from Long Island, N.Y.
 
So what does the future hold for Bombosch?
 
"I am so excited about the next three semesters of my college career," he says. "I am now playing the way I know I can play, so on a personal level, I want to become a top 500 player in the World. As a team, we were close to winning the conference championship last year, so I want us to win this year. I also know we now have the kind of team that can win the NCAA national championship."
 
WINGATE NOTES 
 
-Bombosch averaged 73.9 as a freshman, 74.8 as a sophomore and 72.4 in the fall of 2018.
-He has posted five top 10 finishes in his Wingate career.
-Overall, Bombosch is averaging 73.8 in 55.5 rounds, which places him third all-time in Wingate's NCAA history behind Benedict Gebhardt (73.4) and Cliff Blanquicet (73.78). Current teammate Charles Joubert is fourth at 74.0.
-He has carded 18 rounds at par or less in his career (33 percent of the time). His 66 at Innisbrook this fall tied Jarett Stowe (66 at the 2018 Hargett Memorial) for the lowest round in the school's NCAA history.
-Bombosch's 2018 average of 72.4 ranks currently ranks first all-time in season scoring average during Wingate's NCAA era.
-This season, he is averaging 3.18 on the Par 3s (sixth best in Wingate's NCAA history), 4.15 on Par 4s (third) and 4.69 on Par 5s (first).
-His 167 birdies rank third all-time for Wingate, so he is well on pace to surpass the top NCAA-era birdie-maker, Tyler Stone, who had 200.
-Wingate's scoring average after the fall is 294.25, which ranks second all-time (NCAA era) behind the 2011-12 team, which averaged 292.69 while winning the SAC Championship and qualifying for the NCAA national championships.
-According to Golfstat, this year's Bulldogs have played the eighth toughest schedule in the country.
-The highest final NCAA Division II ranking in Wingate's school history was number 22 in 2014-15. The Bulldogs are ranked 21st in both D2 polls after the fall of 2018.
-Wingate opens the spring 2019 portion of its schedule Monday and Tuesday, co-hosting the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate (with Lincoln Memorial) at the St. John's Golf and Country Club in St. Augustine, Fla.
 
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
 
Wingate University head men's golf coach John Hackney: "Tim is an outstanding young man with tremendous golfing skills. I knew from the first time I saw him play that he could be one of the best in the world. He was conflicted several times about whether to stay at Wingate or move back to Germany and that kept him from playing great golf. Now that he has made a full-time commitment to Wingate, his game has flourished. He is also a tremendous student, so he has the whole package. I can't wait to see what he and his teammates are going to do in the future!"
 
Wingate University senior teammate Philip Coles: "Tim made a huge step by leaving Germany and coming to the U.S. He questioned his decision on coming to Wingate a couple of times, to the point he actually wanted to leave Wingate and go back home. I am grateful that he decided to stay at Wingate in the end because I have known him for years and he is a great buddy of mine. His teammates really appreciate him a lot. I believe that Tim realized, just before he was going to leave, that he had made great friendships on campus and on the team. He also realized that this opportunity provided at Wingate is nothing like what he would have in Germany."
 
"He is a great golfer and is always looking for ways to improve his game. His biggest asset is his length, with a consistent driving average of 310 yards. He also understands his golf swing very well. He is not only a great player, but a great friend."
 
Wingate University junior teammate Charles Joubert: "Tim wasn't sure he was going to stay because he was thinking about studying and playing golf in Germany, but the day before he was going to leave (in the middle of his sophomore year) he realized that the U.S. and Wingate was the best choice for him and his future. On the golf course, his swing is beautiful and he is a very powerful player! When he is aggressive, he is able to shoot low on every course. Tim works hard in the classroom, makes good grades and always finds time to help me with my homework if I need it. He is by far my best friend at Wingate. We are very close."
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY

A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 12 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 106 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 115 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.