Biwer Opens Regional Play With a 2-over 73

        AUSTIN —University of Colorado junior Justin Biwer opened play here Monday with a 2-over par 73 in the first round of the NCAA Central/Austin Regional.
 
        Play was suspended shortly after Noon local time due to lightning in the area; action didn't resume for nearly three hours at 3 p.m.  Thus, for the 75 players competing, it took just over eight hours to complete their round.
 
        Biwer is tied for 43rd after scoring two birdies, 13 pars, two bogeys and one double Monday on the 7,399-yard, par-71 University of Texas Golf Club course.  The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each of six regionals will advance to the NCAA Finals later this month.
 
        Biwer started the day with two pars, then birdied the 493-yard, par-4 3rd hole.  But he double-bogeyed the 375-yard, par-4 4th and then spent the rest of the round chasing par.  He bogeyed No. 8 to get to 2-over, but a birdie on the 562-yard, par-5 14th returned him to 1-over; he bogeyed No. 16, a long par-3 (248 yards) and then closed with two pars.
 
        "I felt I played well, but I just didn't score well," Biwer said.  "I thought I gave myself a lot of opportunities and couldn't get much going on the greens. With some more putts dropping tomorrow, I feel I'll be right there again."
 
        He played the par-5s at 1-under, the par-4's at 1-over and the par-3's at 2-over to open his action here, with his 13 pars tied for the ninth-most in the field. 
 
        "Justin hit the ball well, played tough and stayed patient," head coach Roy Edwards said.  "He did a good job of hanging in there."
 
        For Tuesday's second round, Biwer will once again tee off at 8:31 a.m. MDT on No. 1, but this time will be paired with TCU's Gustav Frimodt (who shot a 69) and San Jose State's Zubair Firdaus (76).  The weather is expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures warming into the upper 80's.  The third and final round is scheduled Wednesday.
 
NOTES: Other than the lightning delay, temperatures were in the low 70's most of the day, which briefly experienced light rain but no real wind … The average score Monday for the 75-man field was 72.36 … The round ended with 25 players under par and six equaling it; 44 were thus over par with one 80 … The 18th hole was the toughest in the first round, playing +0.53 over par; there were just two birdies (Biwer made par) … The NCAA Finals are set for May 24-29 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.  … Three Buffaloes have advanced to the Finals out of regional play in the past as that top individual, Bobby Kalinowski in 1993 (tied for ninth); Derek Tolan in 2008 (tied for seventh) and David Oraee in 2015 (second).

 
BUFFALO INDIVIDUAL

 
TOP INDIVIDUALS NOT ON TOP 5 TEAMS

 
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS