MEN’S GOLF PROGRAM SIGNS VICKSBURG’S DEREK SHELBURNE

Derek Shelburne (middle) will be joining the Bulldogs this fall. (L-R): Vicksburg Head Coach Rob Johnson, Laurie Shelburne, Vicksburg Assistant Coach Jim Douglass, and Rusty Shelburne.

Ferris State University men’s golf head coach Brad Bedortha has announced the signing of Derek Shelburne (Scotts/Vicksburg) to a National Letter-of-Intent to continue his education and golf career at Ferris State.

Shelburne, who will graduate this June from Vicksburg High School, is a two-time (2002-03) all-state honoree and a four-time (2000-03) All-Wolverine Conference selection.

“Derek is a good all-around athlete who will definitely compete for a starting spot this fall,” said Bedortha. “I’ve been impressed with his competitiveness and commitment to the game of golf. Derek has played a lot of tournament golf and performed well which should adapt him to the collegiate game.

“He’s fundamentally sound and is capable of hitting the ball a long distance,” added Bedortha. The 6-4 Shelburne has played a key role in leading the Bulldogs under head coach Rob Johnson to three (2000, 02-03) conference championship titles and a pair (2001 and 2003) of state tournament appearances during his prep career. The team captain recorded a career-best 36.7 stroke average during his senior year in the fall and placed second with a 153 score (71-82—153) at the 2003 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Lower Peninsula Division II Boys Golf Finals (Oct. 17-18) held at Eastern Michigan University’s Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Mich. Vicksburg finished in a three-way tie for eighth place at the state finals. As a senior, Shelburne repeated as the medalist at the conference tourney while claiming top honors at the regional event. A two-time (2002-03) team Most Valuable Golfer, Shelburne is the school’s record holder for the lowest scoring average and is part of a squad which set a team mark for the best 18-hole record at 285. He also was instrumental in guiding the Bulldogs to their best finish ever in school history with the eighth-place tying performance at the state tourney.

Shelburne posted a 38.5 round average as a junior in 2002 and turned in the conference’s third best stroke average. The previous campaign (2001), he tallied a 41.7 average and took seventh place at the conference tournament as the Bulldogs won the league title. In his freshman year (2000), Shelburne averaged 40.9 per round and placed fifth in the conference while VHS captured the league crown.

In 2002, Shelburne was a member of the World Sports Exchange Team which traveled to Spain and competed in a Ryder Cup format.

Besides lettering four years in golf, Derek was a two-year letterwinner in both basketball and baseball. In basketball this season (2003-04), Shelburne was named to the all-conference team and helped the Bulldogs to their first district championship in 24 years. The 2003 second-team all-conference baseball pick is presently serving as a co-captain on VHS’s baseball team and belted two home runs in one inning during a contest this season.

The son of Rusty and Laurie Shelburne of Scotts, Derek plans to major in professional golf management at Ferris State.