Sweet hangs on for Hideout Amateur victory, Toneys win Shootout

by Jeff Simon
Hideout Golf Course PGA Professional
It was a come-from-behind victory for Michael Sweet in the Hideout Amateur this past Saturday, August 8 in Monticello.
The St. George resident, despite a hiccup on the final hole, shot a one-under-par 71 Sunday to capture the annual tournament by one stroke over Wyatt Toney and Caden Hamill.
Sweet, who is now a repeat winner of the 36-hole tournament, bogeyed the 18th hole and thought his chances for a win were done. He started the tournament with a two-over-par score of 74.
Sweet usually plays very well at the Hideout. During the Spring Couples tournament in June he and his wife finished second. The following two days they moved on to the Moab Golf Course were they won that spring tournament.
He was trying to track down Toney who led the tournament after a brilliant first round score of four-under-par 68. But Toney, who won the 24th of July long drive competition at the Hideout just one week ago, had two bad holes on Sunday that cost him the title.
The Westminster College golfer triple bogeyed the sixth hole, then double bogeyed the tenth enroute to a six-over par round of 78. He also carded just one birdie during his final round.
For Toney, though, the weekend was very successful. In addition to his runner-up finish in the Amateur, he and his father, Ambrose Toney won their flight in last Friday’s best-ball Shootout.
He’s also had a very good summer of golf. Toney also qualified for the Utah State Amateur and advanced to the match play portion of the tournament.
Sweet was just plain steady on Sunday making three birdies and just two bogeys as he watched other golfers struggle.
It didn’t help anyone that the wind came up for a brief time on Sunday making course play even more difficult.