In the winter of 2020-2021 I got a phone call from a young man named Michael Sweeney from Enfield, Connecticut. He told me he was interested in the Assistant Golf Professional job the Villa Roma CC had posted online. 

I heard he was a pretty good player but struggling on the mini tours in Florida. I said this might be a perfect spot for the summer to work on your game and make some money. 

He arrived in the spring and the Villa Roma gave him housing and he was extremely appreciative. I saw his phenomenal work ethic right away. He was at the course practicing every morning at 7am. If he wasn’t working, he was either hitting balls, putting, or at the gym. That and his ridiculous positive attitude was starting to pay off. 

Mike qualified for the NYS Open at Bethpage Black and made the cut. Went down to Florida again in the winter 21-22 and won 3 times on the MLGT. That’s the Minor League golf tour. I had heard Mike was living in his car down in Florida and I couldn’t believe it. I really don’t know how he did it for almost four months. He was saving for the entry fees.

When it came around to the spring, Mike said he won’t be coming back to Villa Roma. He was going to give his full effort playing tournament golf. Sad for us at the Villa Roma, but we all knew his plan.

He won two more MLGT events and Qualified for the PGA Tour Canada which starts this June. 

Last week, he jumped in a car with another pro and drove to Alabama to try and get in the Korn Ferry Tournament. That tour is right below the PGA tour. Like Triple A baseball.

Mike shot 64, including a hole out from the greenside bunker on the last hole. It was Par 4, and it got him in a playoff. Five players teed off for two spots to get in the event and Mike went Birdie-Par to qualify. 

At this point, Golfweek picked up his story with a mini tour pro sleeping in his car qualifying for the Korn Ferry tournament. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram went nuts. Golf Channel had Jimmy Roberts interview Mike. People were sending him money like crazy. They just loved his story and hard work to follow a dream. 

As if things couldn’t get better, Mike made a hole in one on his fourth hole of the tournament and ended up with a one under 69 in the first round. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep it going in round two. After a 34 one under par on the first nine, trouble came on the back nine with a 4 over par 39 and shot 73. He did not make the cut. 

It was a wonderful week for Mike Sweeney and I’m sure many more good ones to come. You can follow Mike on PGA Tour Canada this summer on the PGA Tour website. All of us here at The Villa Roma CC are rooting for Mike’s success. Hard work does pay off.