Courtesy photo Bryson Mercier poses for a picture with the UPGA Junior Championship trophy after repeating as champion Aug. 3 at Terrace Bluff Golf Club in Gladstone.

ESCANABA — Bryson Mercier may stand just 5-foot-3. However, that has not prevented the North Central High School junior from quickly becoming a giant on the golf course.

Mercier has been named junior golfer of the year on the Wisconsin Junior Golf circuit. He also won his second straight Upper Peninsula Golf Association junior championship last month, and boasts victories at challenging courses in Wisconsin that rank among the best in the country, (Ryder Cup host) Whistling Straits, the Irish Course at Whistling Straits and Meadow Valley at Blackwolf Run. He has also won at Brown County Golf Course, one of the top public courses in Wisconsin.

“It meant a lot. A lot of my hard work has paid off,” Mercier said of claiming POY honors while returning home Sunday from the Golf Association of Michigan junior tourney at Forest Akers West in East Lansing. Mercier shot 75-75 and placed 12th.

The POY accomplishment becomes even more impressive when you consider the high school spring golf season was a casualty of the cornavirus epidemic, and that Mercier had to overcome knee surgery for a dislocated knee cap. The injury happened in December, 2018, while playing basketball. He had surgery at Bellin Health in Green Bay.

Mercier did not set a goal of winning POY honors. “One of my goals was to finish in the top five,” he said. “Last year I struggled on playing on day two (of a tournament). Another goal was to improve on my score.”

Mercier collected 1,347 points this season, with Ty Kretz of Marinette second with 1,293. Mercier had four wins, three second-place finishes and four other times was in the top 10. Kretz had three wins in 16 events.

Also making this award impressive is Mercier frequently plays golf at Wild Pines Golf Course west of Hermansville, a small 9-hole layout along U.S. 2 that is also the home course for Marquette University golf standout and 2018 UPGA men’s champion Hunter Eichhorn.

The two Wild Pine youngsters will often play about 100 holes a day at the course, becoming close friends in their united passion. They also will play at Sweetgrass Golf Course and Sage Run Golf Course. Eichhorn and Mercier’s dad, Adam, both work at Sage Run.

“There are not a lot of people I’ve learned more from,” Mercier said of his friend. “It is not about him telling me things but just picking up on things he does while playing golf. It is just cool to think we (both) came from a course like that. I’m learning not just golf stuff but how he deals with stuff and how he deals with bad shots.”

Mercier said the two will play various games during their rounds, playing from the same tee box with Mercier getting spotted a stroke on each nine. “I try to play as good as him. Not that many rounds are we that far apart. We usually get pretty serious.”

While Wild Pines is not that challenging, Mercier said the best thing about the course is it is not heavily played so “you have the course to yourself. We can fly around there (in a cart) in 45 minutes (for nine holes). You learn as you go. We’ve never had a swing coach, we’ve taught ourselves a lot.”

Eichhorn will share his experiences rather than discuss golf swings. “It is cool to hear those stories. It is more the mental part of the game. He is just teaching me stuff,” said Mercier.

It is clear Mercier has been picking things up properly. No matter where Mercier plays golf, he takes the same approach. “It is a matter of bringing the same swing (because) it is the same person playing the golf course. I should be able to swing the same at Wild Pines as I do at Sage Run,” he said.

No matter where he plays, in casual rounds or tournament outings, he said “every day I go to a golf course I try to pick up one thing and grow a little bit. Not every day is going to be my best day. When you play good you don’t really learn much. When you play bad, you learn more every day.

“Golf is so erratic (a roller coaster ride is a good description). It is such a weird sport. Golf is like a teacher who is trying to trick you.”

Mercier, who averaged 72.57 on the Wisconsin junior tour, said he tries to shoot around 75 on high caliber courses while “staying within myself.” He always “tries to stay within the moment.”

He also tries to stay patient every time he tees it up, which helps him to stay consistent physically and mentally. “I have to stay even keel. I’ve got to stay patient,” he said, indicating his parents (Adam and Melissa) have been huge role models.

When he plays by himself, he will conjure up a “ghost opponent” and think about being ahead or behind by three holes. “That trained me mentally to stay in the moment, to stay patient,” he said.

He also understands that various good and bad breaks happen during a round. “Whoever deals with bad breaks the best, usually does the best,” he said. “Nobody has a round without a bad break.”

Mercier, who boasts a 3.6 grade point average and is president of the school’s national honor society, is his class secretary.

He has focused on strength training, he says, to “keep my body activated and in shape.” He also does a lot of running to build up his leg strength. “I try to do as much school work as I can to keep my mind engaged for a long time. On the course, you have to be engaged for about six hours. You have to be so precise and have mental endurance.”

Done with travel golf for the season, Mercier will keep preparing for his future. He already has golf scholarship offers from Wisconsin-Green Bay and University of Detroit Mercy but is not ready to declare his intentions.

Despite his lack of size, Mercier can drive a golf ball about 280 yards and his rounds with the long-ball hitting Eichhorn are not intimidating.

“Playing with Hunter has helped me a lot with that,” he said. “I’ve been able to learn it doesn’t matter where he hits his drive. I’ve learned to block that out and play my own ball.

“I just try to play my own game and don’t worry about the size,” he said. “I try to make a lot of pars and make a couple birdies here and there. I try to stay around level par.”

That helps him score well on difficult tracks, such as hitting 15 greens in regulation at the (Straits) Irish Course. He is working on his wedges, distance control and moving the ball left and right. “The best part (of his game) is probably how many fairways and greens I hit. I’ve learned to do that pretty effectively.”