CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Three hundred thirty-four.

Nearly a year removed from competing as a unit, the University of Miami golf program is set to return to competition for the first time in 334 days for Sunday’s season opener at the UCF Challenge (Jan. 31-Feb. 2)

After the 2020 spring season was halted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurricanes are officially back together again and are looking forward to the road ahead.

“Being back with everyone has been really nice, I think we were all very excited to get back to practice and competing as a team after such a long time,” fourth-year junior Kristyna Frydlova said. “I am very happy about the competition we have within the team now and I believe that it will prepare us well for the upcoming events.”

With the return of all seven student-athletes from last season, the Hurricanes also welcomed freshmen Sara Byrne and Nataliya Guseva to the program, expanding to the largest squad ever led by head coach Patti Rizzo and assistant coach John Koskinen.

And with such a sizable team brings stiff competition to practice, with nine players contending for the five-player lineup at each spring tournament.

The team’s first qualifying event opened Tuesday, Jan. 19, at the Biltmore Hotel and Golf Course, a five round tournament on the extensive par-72 course.

The Canes’ newest member, Guseva, a January enrollee, hit the ground running this past week and has enjoyed finally having the opportunity to compete alongside her newest teammates.

“It was an incredible experience. I really loved it,” Guseva said. “It was really nice to officially meet the whole team, as well as compete with one another. The past week was so competitive with all nine of us fighting for the five spots. So, thank you so much to our coaches John and Patti, as they helped us all week and were so supporting in every aspect.”

One of two Hurricanes ranked among the top-100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), the current No. 82 player finished par or better in all five rounds and finish tied-for-second at nine-under-par.

Joining the freshman with an outstanding five day total, sophomore Franziska Sliper finished nine-under, 350, while Grimstad led the way with an 10-under, 349 performance.

Competing alongside the duo all week, Guseva tried to learn as much as she could from the Norwegian pair.

“Competing with Renni and Franni all week was amazing,” Guseva said. “Renni is such an experienced player, as she is now in her fifth year, and has so much tournament experience. I know I can learn so much from her, along with the opportunity to battle alongside her. I love competition and having the opportunity to compete with the best is why I am here.

“Franziska played incredible golf all five days, she was so consistent,” Guseva added. “So, I just tried to compete at both Franziska’s and Renni’s level all week and I hope to continue that same level of intensity next week, where we will try to bring home a trophy.”

Ranked No. 80 in the WAGR and coming off a historic 2019-20 campaign, Grimstad has been impressed from what she has seen out of her teammates over the past couple weeks.

“It’s been a great few days and I’m very happy the team is back together. We’ve waited a long time for this and it seems like the break has given us all some time to reflect and work on both ourselves and our game,” Grimstad said. “What stands out to me is the level of competition and how passionate everyone is at practice. Obviously, with nine good players and only five who get to travel, you’re forced to play at your best every week to make the team. That type of competition only makes us better and pushes us to work hard. Nat and Sara have both impressed me so much, and even though they’re freshmen, they’re both experienced and hard-working, exactly what the team needs.”

Last season, Grimstad set the program record with the lowest relative to par score in a single season (71.00), led the ACC in scoring, earned WGCA and Golfweek All-American honors and secured the prestigious Dinah Shore Trophy Award.

Granted the opportunity to return for a fifth-season after her senior season was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bergen, Norway, native is happy with where her game is heading into the UCF Challenge, one year after claiming the individual title in Orlando.

“I’m happy to see that my game is still around after all these months with uncertainty and practice. UCF is a special tournament for Miami, considering we’ve won the individual title three years in a row, along with the consistent team success. I know the team wants to continue that tradition,” Grimstad said. “I know the course well and feel very comfortable playing there, so I’m happy we get a nice start to the season after waiting so long.

“To win qualifiers is not something I expected, but I wanted to be consistent and work on some mental tasks out there rather than focusing too much on the technical stuff,” Grimstad added. “It turned out to work well this week and even though I got exempted to play, I wanted to prove to myself, the coaches and the team that it was the right decision and I think I managed to do that pretty well.”

Hailing from Stavanger, Norway, Sliper is looking to carry the momentum of a five consecutive rounds under par at qualifiers to the UCF Challenge.

“Being back with the team has been great,” Sliper said. “I really missed seeing everyone and it’s been fun to be able to hangout and practice together again. Being apart from each other for so long didn’t weaken our team bond and I can’t wait to get the season started together.

“Earning a spot on the team for the tournament in Orlando means a lot,” Sliper added. “We have such a great team this year and that just makes it so much more special to be one of the five. I knew that I had to be at my best and it was quite nerve-wracking, but it also pushed me to work hard leading up to qualifying.”

Making the trek from Ireland to Miami in August to practice alongside senior Macarena Aguilera and sophomore Morgan Pankow, Byrne was excited to officially welcome the rest of the team back to UM this month.

Competing in her first qualifier as a Hurricane, the freshman capped the five rounds with a three-under 68 and two-under 70 to earn a trip to her first collegiate tournament after a two-over-par performance at the Biltmore.

“I am over the moon to have qualified to play at UCF,” Byrne said. “Playing five rounds of qualifying was really tough as it was so mentally and physically draining so I was delighted to finish off with two strong rounds. Having such a strong team this semester makes qualifying tough, so to make the team is amazing.

“Being here in Miami since August has really helped me get my game to a good place,” Byrne said. “Being able to practice in perfect weather was ideal over the winter. I was able to get used to the Bermuda grass. UCF will be my first collegiate tournament, so I’m just really looking forward to seeing what it will be like and just making sure to enjoy the experience.”

Rounding out the Hurricanes’ lineup, Frydlova rebounded from a difficult opening day and finished one-under, 286 over the final four rounds.

“It was a challenging five days and I am happy about how I played and how I managed to come back after not performing very well in the first round,” Frydlova said. “I have a lot of confidence in the team and I believe that we should aim to win this event because we definitely have what it takes.”

Overall, as the Hurricanes prepare for their first official tournament as a team in 334 days, Miami will look to build off a highly competitive qualifying round that would have shattered a pair of program records.

Over the full five rounds, the starting five accumulated a counting 33-under, 1403. Even more impressive, Miami finished 27-under, 833 over the final three rounds, eight strokes lower than the current three-day relative-to-par record-setting mark in program history (833, -19, 2018 Schooner Fall Classic).

The final two rounds, 552 (-20), also would have set a program low by four strokes, an achievement set at the Jim West Challenge in 2019 (560, -16).