Above par

By Staff
Red Bay's Fancher signs golf scholarship
Keith Ledbetter
For the FCT
RED BAY – Red Bay senior golf standout Grant Fancher will be trading his Tiger for a Lion this fall after inking a scholarship with Wallace Stat-Hanceville Community College March 4.
Wallace State, one of the top ranked golf teams in the state, finished as runner-up at the NJCAA Region 22 state championship last year.
"This is the college I hoped I would sign with," said Fancher. "They have a great program, and I know coach (Dan) York can help me reach my potential."
Fancher said he has been playing golf since he was eight years old, and this is all he has ever wanted to do.
"When I recruit, the first thing I look for is a man who wants to get a degree," said York, Wallace State head coach. "Grant is an outstanding young man and comes highly recommended.
"As far as his golfing abilities, he's got all the tools. He can hit the long ball and his short game is good. We'll be working with him on everything that will make him an even better player."
The Wallace State-Hanceville golf team recently competed in the Faulkner State Community College Spring Invitational. The team finished sixth overall and recorded a top 5 finish. The Lions shot 319-308 over two rounds for a team total of 627. Zack Lynch took fourth place with rounds of 74-75 for a total of 148.
The Red Bay boys golf team continues to be one of the top contenders in Class 2A, and competing in the state tournament every year is their final goal of the season. Fancher and his teammates are sure to be competitive this year and are expected to again return to the 2A finals.
Former Red Bay golf coach Jimmy Mayfield, who retired three years ago, was asked to be present for Fancher's signing Tuesday morning because of the impact he made on the senior's early years at Red Bay.
"I could see ability from the very beginning," said Mayfield, who was Fancher's first golf coach. "He just got better and better every year."
Fancher's love of the game came early and because of his ability, he played on the varsity golf team beginning in the seventh grade. Fancher has made trips with the Tigers golf team to the state tournaments every year since the seventh grade.
"He's played as the number one player for me for the past two years, and he'll go in as number one this year," said current Red Bay head caoch Johnny Cleveland.
"He's a consistent player and will shoot a 36 or a 39 every match," added Cleveland. "This is a very, very proud day," said Charlene Fancher, Grant's mother. "This just makes it worthwhile. When you tell your child at an early age if you work hard, it will pay off – this just proves it.
"We have known for years that Wallace State is a top-notch college. Since this was Grant's first choice, we're even more thrilled that he is signing a scholarship."
Fancher sets high standards for himself and uses an intense approach to competitive golf, according to his father, Jerry Paul Fancher.
"This is something he has always wanted to do," Jerry Paul Fancher said. "We never had to make him go to the golf course, and he always has done that on his own.
"He is very serious about it, and always has been. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, and he really deserves to opportunity to go on and play at the next level."