Mercer's game has come a long way

Roosevelt golfers (from left) Aaron Mercer, David Mayfield, Edward Whipple and Kingsley Neal at Gleason Park Golf Course
(Leslie Adkins/Post-Tribune)

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GARY – Aaron Mercer laughs at the mere mention of Charles Barkley's swing.

"Oh, my god, it's like it's a joke. That little pause at the top? That's crazy," he said.

OK, so Mercer, a senior at Roosevelt never had the herky, jerky indescribably bad swing that Barkley, who is trying to correct it under the tutelage of Hank Haney in a reality television on the Golf Channel, has.

But the finely chiseled No. 1 player for the Panthers has come a long way from where he used to be.

Nate Statens, the Roosevelt coach, stretches his arms out fully to indicate how far Mercer could hit the ball when he started as a freshman.

Statens sounds like a proud father when he says: "He couldn't hit the ball nowhere. Now he hits it a long way."

Statens typically has to work with all the players who start out at Roosevelt. Many have never picked up a club.

For Mercer, the work was a little more involved. He was left-handed.

He started playing right-handed and he hasn't gone back.

"I can't even hit it left-handed any more," he said.

He does hit it fairly well, though. Well enough to have a chance to go somewhere this year.

He'd like to advance out of sectionals, which is hosted by Boone Grove and played at Lakes of the Four Seasons.

Last year, Mercer shot a 92 for the Panthers on that track. His opening nine of 42 kept him within striking distance.

He slipped on the back to 50 when the rain started.

The key this year for the defending individual champion in the Northwestern Conference is to not let the bad weather and the bad breaks bother him.

"I gotta stay focused," he said. "I kind of fumble when I have a bad hole."

Through a lot of hard work and some innate talent, Mercer has made himself into a high 30s, low 40s shooter for nine holes.

He actually started playing in eighth grade with his brother, Timothy. Tim, who also played for Roosevelt, is pursuing a degree in professional golf management.

Both Mercers hung out nearly every day at South Gleason Golf Course in the summer until Tim left for college.

Last summer was more problematic for Aaron.

He is also very good as a tennis player for the Panthers. Most of his offseason time was spent teaching tennis.

Mercer, who is going to attend Wabash next year and major in political science, is torn between tennis and golf.

He started out as a basketball guy but he gave that up last year to concentrate on golf and tennis.

"Right now the tennis coach is looking at me," Mercer said about next year.

Mercer is good enough and long enough now that he has started to focus mostly on his short game.

"That's what wins," he said.

Contact Mike Hutton at 648-3139 or mhutton@post-trib.com