Backman Named ACC Golfer of the Month
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After locking up her first collegiate tournament title and securing a trio of top-25 finishes, University of Miami freshman Anna Backman was named ACC Golfer of the Month for February.
“I’m very proud of her,” Miami head coach Patti Rizzo said. “I’m sure many more great things will come.”
Sitting at 13th among international student-athletes in the Penultimate Arnold Palmer Cup rankings, the Vääksy, Finland, native became the first Hurricane to earn the honor since Daniela Darquea received recognition for the month of March in 2014.
In her first month of collegiate competition, Backman led the Hurricanes with a 71.86 scoring average.
Competing for just one round due to inclement weather at the Florida Challenge, Backman secured her first collegiate top-10 finish, carding a one-over, 73, to finish tied for sixth.
A week later, the freshman paced Miami with an 11-under par performance at the Par 72, 6,349 Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, to capture the UCF Challenge individual title.
On the second day of competition, Backman had a historic afternoon with a seven-under, 65 to sit atop the leaderboard at nine-under-par. Tallying 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 Dewi Weber’s eight-under, 64 score in the opening round of the Betsy Rawls Invitational on Oct. 17, 2016.
Overall, her three round total of 205 also ranks second in program history, just four-strokes behind Weber’s mark of 201, carded during the 2016 tournament in Austin, Texas.
Battling a loaded tournament field in New Orleans that featured eight other teams listed in the top 25 on golfstat.com, as well as inclement weather, Backman finished tied for 22nd at nine-over-par, closing out the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate with 41 par or better holes and six birdies.
Following an 18-day hiatus, Backman and the Hurricanes are set to return to action March 9-10 when they compete in the Sun Trust Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
To keep up with the University of Miami golf team on social media, follow @HurricanesGolf on Twitter, @CanesGolf on Instagram and @CanesWGolf on Facebook.
