Backman Moves Atop the Leaderboard
ORLANDO – Led by freshman Anna Backman and junior Renate Grimstad, the University of Miami golf team maintained its record-setting pace through the second round of action at the UCF Challenge.
Competing at the Par 72, 6,349-yard Eagle Creek Golf Club, the Hurricanes carded a seven-under par performance on Monday, giving Miami a score of 15-under, 561 to hold its second-place position, just a stroke back from sixth-ranked Vanderbilt.
“I’m proud of the team,” head coach Patti Rizzo said. “It’s never over until the last putts in the hole, so we are just focusing on one hole, one shot at a time.”
Backman paced the Hurricanes carding a seven-under, 65 to sit atop the individual leaderboard at nine-under-par through the opening pair of rounds in Orlando.
In just her third round of collegiate competition, the Vääksy, Finland, native tallied five birdies and an eagle, while hitting par on the other 12 holes. The freshman’s performance ranks second in the UM history books, just one stroke shy of tying Dewi Weber’s eight-under, 64 score in the opening round of the Betsy Rawls Invitational on Oct. 17, 2016.
“Anna is playing great,” Rizzo said. “I told her with Dewi leaving she had some big shoes to fill, and she is doing a great job. She is going to have a great college career, I already know that. Also, Renni [Grimstad] is playing solid and so is [sophomore Kristyna Frydlova].”
Adding to Sunday’s three-under-par performance, Grimstad moved into sole possession of third in the players’ leaderboard following a five birdie, four-under-par performance on Monday.
After getting off to a hot-start in the opening 27 holes at five-under-par, Frydlova sits in a tie for 22nd in the standings at one-under, 143.
Graduate student Claudia De Antonio capped off the second round with a birdie on the par-four, 346-yard, hole two, to finish the afternoon two-over-par. Overall, the Caracas, Venezuela, native is tied-for-70th at five-over-par.
Rounding out the Hurricanes lineup, junior Macarena Aguilera is tied for 66th at four-over-par.
Third round action is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning at 8:45 a.m. ET, with live results available HERE. Miami is set to tee off with Vanderbilt and Kennesaw State for the final round of action.
As a team, the Hurricanes are looking to secure the UCF Challenge for the third consecutive year.
To keep up with the University of Miami golf team on social media, follow @HurricanesGolf on Twitter, @CanesGolf on Instagram and @CanesWGolf on Facebook.
