Dixie Swing

Sand Hollow Amateur

By Dick Harmon
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Beware, the young gun is hot this winter and he has his eyes on the Utah State Amateur.

Lone Peak senior Zach Jones continued his winter dominance by winning the San Hollow Amateur in early February.  It was his second victory in the Dixie Swing which included a win at the St. George Amateur and runner-up finish at the Coral Canyon Amateur in January.

Jones, the defending 6A Utah State High School medalist, fired rounds of 70-72 for a two-under par 142 to win by four strokes over Braydon Swapp (74-72 146).  Jake Vincent was third at four-over par.

Jones’ first round of two-under par was one of the only red numbers on the leaderboard at Sand Hollow although conditions were mild.  His consistency through the second round was the difference.

“I was still hitting it good the second day like I was the first day,” said Jones.  “I didn't make many birdies though early on.  I had a couple of three putts and eventually I was over par going into my last nine holes.  I already birdied 10 and 11 to get a one-under par and the rain picked up and I made a double bogey on number 12.  I was able to make pars all through that really hard stretch of 13 through 16 and I birdied 17 which was my last hole.

The BYU-bound recruit, who signed with the Cougars in November, had a 20-foot eagle putt on No. 17 that he eventually tapped in for birdie but the best shot of his tournament came on the tough, picturesque par-3 No. 15 in the final round.

“The rain started to come down a little bit and it was windy and it was playing about 200 yards,” said Jones.  “The pin was on the back and that green is really small. So I hit a four-iron because it was in the wind and I hit it to about 15 feet right below the hole. I think that was a really good shot because lots of people are struggling on that whole stretch towards the end and it was hard to even hit that green.”

Jones’ winter run has come with his driver.  “When you put yourself in the fairway you're going to hit more greens and so it helps with irons and it makes everything better.  I’ve hit fairways and I think that’s led to some good rounds.”

Jones took it to 17-under par in the three tournaments in Dixie.  He finished second to University of Utah golfer Kyler Dunkle in the Coral Canyon Amateur, going six-under par.  He tied Ute Tristan Mandur at 9-under at the St. George Amateur at the St. George Golf Club and won on the second playoff hole with a 30-foot birdie.  It was his second win at that event in three years.

Jones took his official recruiting trip to BYU the week after his win at Sand Hollow and said he would time his two-year mission plans after high school graduation in May so he can compete in the Utah State Amateur in July.

By going winless last year in UGA Player Performance point events, Jones said he entered this season with a chip on his shoulder.  “This has been a real good start and I want to play well and see what I can do the rest of the year.”
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Rob Bachman shot 76-74 six over to win Super Seniors over Al Simkins by four shots. Richfield’s Mike Jorgenson won the Senior division by two shots over Randy Hicken with a four-over par 148.  Richard Luke was the First Flight winner with a 7-over par 151.   
 
Dick Harmon is a sportswriter for the Deseret News and a frequent contributor to Fairways.

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Siddens’ Aces Underline Coral Canyon Am

By Randy Dodson
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What are the odds?

Kirk Siddens doesn’t care, all he knows is that he doubled is career hole-in-one total, in a four hole stretch, and won the Senior Flight of the Coral Canyon Amateur, a Utah Golf Association Senior Player Performance Rankings event.

Acing both the par-3 3rd and the par-3 6th holes jump started Siddens’ opening round 7-under 65 and provided just enough cushion to edge Randy Hicken (-3) by a stroke after a final round 75, to claim the 36-hole title.

“I didn’t see it go in on the first one because of the hole location but on 6 I hit it right over the flag and it sucked back and kept trickling, trickling and then it disappeared,” said Siddens. “Then we went crazy because that doesn’t happen.”

Meanwhile, University of Utah Senior golfer Kyler Dunkle continued his winning ways with an 11-under 66-67 – 133 performance to outpace runner-up Zach Jones by five strokes to get the Championship Flight win.

Since his runner-up finish in last year’s Utah State Amateur, Dunkle has been crowned champion in the Colorado State Amateur, Low Amateur in the Utah Open, medalist in two of Utah’s fall season tournaments and now the top spot 2019 Coral Canyon Amateur.

“I’ve been able to capitalize on some of the better opportunities that I’ve had and haven’t been making too many mistakes. I’ve been able to make a lot of birdies. I hit driver every time I can and try to get down the hole as far as I can. I just need to give myself decent birdie looks,” said Dunkle.

Brigham Young University commit Jones finished the tournament at 6-under par as runner-up. Jereme Johnson shot a (+2)  73-73 – 146 to claim First Flight honors.     

Randy Dodson is the publisher of Fairways magazine and president of Fairways Media.

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Jones Wins St. George Am;
​Siddens Wins Senior Division Again

By Jesse Dodson
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Zach Jones had an eventful 2018 season by winning the 6A High School State Championship with his Lone Peak teammates and individually by draining a coast-to-coast putt on the 18th hole at TalonsCove to beat USA Junior Ryder Cupper Cole Ponich by one stroke for the medalist spot. He concluded 2018 by committing to play for the BYU Men’s Golf Team.

He started is 2019 season with the same excitement. Jones found himself in a playoff with University of Utah’s Tristen Mandur, tied at 9-under for the tournament. After tying the first playoff hole with birdies, Jones drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to win the St. George Am for the second time in three years.

“In the playoff we went to hole 10,” Jones said. “I hit a wedge shot to six feet, Tristen hit it inside of me; we both made birdies. Then we went to 17. I hit my wedge shot and it landed by the hole but spun back a good 30 feet and Tristen had probably 20 feet from just off the green and I made my putt for birdie.”

“I played good the first day,” Jones continued. “I made a bunch of birdies but I had a few bad bogeys. Day two I didn’t get many birdies to drop on our first nine but I made five birdies on our second nine on holes 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8.”

In the first two events of the Dixie Swing, Kirk Siddens has accomplished a full season’s-worth of wins, and for some, a lifetime’s-worth of holes-in-one. To continue his momentum from his Coral Canyon Am victory and hole-in-one extravaganza, Siddens won the Senior Division with scores of 72-72 for a two-stroke victory over Jeremy Telford.
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“The St. George Am, I guess you could say, was frosting on the cake after winning at Coral,” Siddens said. "Conditions were difficult both days but overall I played very consistently and managed to stay away from any real trouble. It certainly has been an incredible start to the year and hopefully I can keep it up.”     

Jesse Dodson is a frequent contributor to Fairways.

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Utah Golf Newcomer Allysha Mateo
Wins Sunriver Ladies Am

By Jesse Dodson

​The first Utah Golf Association Women’s Player Performance Ranking (WPPR) event of the 2019 season was the SunRiver Ladies Amateur on January 19th at SunRiver Golf Club in St. George, Utah.

With several 2018 UGA winners in the field, including Women’s Player of the Year Carly Dehlin-Hirsch, it was Utah Golf’s newcomer and BYU Women’s Golf freshman Allysha Mateo who stole the show with a two-stroke victory.

Mateo, from Mililani, Hawaii, was steady and consistent in the first round with one bogey, one birdie and 16 pars for an (E) 71. Her final round was a little more eventful with four bogeys and four birdies to remain even for the tournament and take home her first victory in Utah in her first-event played.

“It feels great to win my first event in Utah,” Mateo said. “I’ve been working a lot of things during the off season and it’s nice to see some results. This tournament was a good test to see how I would execute what I’ve been working on under real pressure.”

“She’s a very hard worker who had a plan and executed that plan well this week,” said BYU Women’s Coach Carrie Roberts. “She’s solid fundamentally and her preparation coming in was key. She was a very good player in Hawaii winning several junior golf tournaments.”

“It’s going to be a fun season,” Mateo continued. “I’m really looking forward to competing. I’m just looking to go into every tournament with confidence.”

The next WPPR event is the UGA Winterchamps on March 16-17, which will be played at SunRiver, Green Springs Golf Course and Bloomington Country Club.       

Jesse Dodson is a frequent contributor to Fairways.

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Long, Gray and Hammer
​All Secure Wins at Hurricane Amateur

By Jesse Dodson

The annual Hurricane Amateur played at and hosted by Sky Mountain Golf Course and Utah Section PGA Head Professional Kent Abegglen showcased a variety of winners January 25-26 in Hurricane, Utah.
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Berlin Long, 15, has found a lot of success in the Utah junior golf circuits, including making it to the finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt competition at Augusta National. She’s now finding success in the Dixie Swing events with a win in the Ladies Flight with rounds of (+6) 72-78.

“To be able to win the Hurricane Am this early in the season helps me to see that all my hard work and practice through the winter is paying off,” Long said.

“It is a goal of mine to be able to compete in and win these UGA events as a junior,” Long continued. “It shows me how I will be able to compete in upcoming tournaments in and out of state.”

Southern Utah University Men’s golfer Ethan Gray also grabbed his first Dixie Swing victory at the Hurricane Amateur with a two-stroke win over first-round leader Caden Hamill. Gray found himself one-stroke back after round one with a (-3) 69. Round two played a little tougher, however Gray finished with a 73, two-under for the event and a two-stroke win for the SUU Thunderbird.
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Craig Hammer left the Hurricane Amateur with a victory in the Senior Flight shooting rounds of (+2) 75-71. Allen Simkins, who was leading going into the final round, came in second, two-strokes off the lead. Ryan Turman of St. George won the Men’s Regular Flight by one stroke with rounds of (+9) 73-80.     

​Jesse Dodson is a frequent contributor to Fairways.

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Hayden Christensen Wins Ledges Am

By Jesse Dodson
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The final event of the Dixie Swing was The Ledges Amateur, held in St. George, Utah, on February 15-16. Dixie State University alumnus Hayden Christensen came away with the victory after two playoff holes with current DSU golfer Brock Nielson.

“Winning The Ledges Am felt amazing,” Christensen said. “Especially working as a construction supervisor full time, I normally only get to play golf on the weekends. It felt good to win.”

Christensen finished round one with at (-1) 71, two strokes off round-one leader David Jennings. A birdie on the final hole for Christensen forced a playoff with Nielson, who shot 72-72. After two holes, Christensen walked away with the win.

It’s safe to say Christensen likes The Ledges Am. He played for DSU from 2011 to 2015 and turned pro right after college. However, before turning pro he won The Ledges Am. After a few years of being pro and getting his amateur status back, his first win as an amateur comes at The Ledges Am.

Christensen plans on playing a few tournaments this season, including the Utah State Amateur and looks to play well enough to qualify to play in the 2019 Utah Open.  

Jesse Dodson is a frequent contributor to Fairways.