Erin golfer qualifies to compete for national junior title

by Patrick Raftis

ERIN

In the game of golf, there’s not many 14-year-olds with eight years of experience.

However, an early start on the links set Erin golfer Kyle Fancy on the road to participating in his first national championship before he’s even old enough to drive himself to the event.

Fancy was among 63 young golfers competing in the Annual Optimist Central Ontario District Junior Qualifying Golf Tournament on June 23 at Caledon Country Club.

Competing in the 14 to 15-year-old age category, he shot a 78, good for a three-way tie for second and a spot in the Optimist Canadian National Junior Golf Championships in London, at Fanshawe Golf Club from Aug. 13 to 15.

While he’s competed in the Caledon event twice before, this year marks the first time Fancy has advanced to the national competition.

Kyle’s mother, Sandra Brianceau, isn’t surprised by his accomplishments, given his early interest in the game.

“He was always in the backyard hitting balls,” she recalls. The family put Kyle in a junior clinic to test his mettle.

“The coach at the time said ‘this boy needs to golf’,” said Brianceau, who notes Kyle often beat boys several years his senior at a very young age.

Fancy, who has a five handicap and a 76 average, says this year was the first time things really went his way at the regional qualifying tournament.  

Last year, he recalls, he shot 89, a score that, while the envy of many a duffer, didn’t cut it at the Optimist junior event.

“This year, I played like I normally play,” he said.

While Fancy expects the field in London to be tough, he’s no stranger to high-level competition. He recently competed in a Future Collegiate Tour event in Ohio, placing second in the tournament.

Higher education is where Fancy hopes his golf game will take him. Heading into Grade 10 at Erin District High School this fall, Fancy particularly enjoys history and hopes to land a golf scholarship after high school.

As for the professional game?

“I don’t think about it a lot,” he says.

His mother, however, points out that Kyle does talk about the idea  of competing on the European Tour.

“That would be great, to see Europe and see all the old castles and buildings. I’m not as interested in the States,” he explained.

Fancy, who expects it will take a score in the low to mid-70s to win the Canadian championship, is confident he will be competitive in London.

“I can definitely place, if I play the way I can,” he asserts. “There’s definitely going to be some good golfers there; they’re all going to be good players.”

It takes hard work and serious training to compete at this level.

Fancy golfs four or five times a week during the season and trains with the ACTS Athlete Institute in Orangeville, where he works with both a swing coach and a personal trainer.

Still, for Fancy, it remains about the love of the game.

“It’s just fun. I find it a challenge,” he said.

August 10, 2012