THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996 TAG: 9610080489
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 42 lines
Even during classes, Shaun Robertson looks like he's on the golf course.
Wearing green shorts and a striped shirt, the only thing the Nansemond River golfer lacked was his clubs. And they are probably never too far from his reach.
``He is very dedicated,'' coach Don Horne said. ``He's not the kind of guy who puts his clubs away in the winter. He works year-round.''
And that offseason work has put the junior golfer at the top of the class in the Southeastern District.
``Normally, since we don't get much snow around here, I find a way to get out there and get loose,'' Robertson said.
Robertson won medalist honors by shooting 78-80-158 as the Warriors won the two-day district tournament last week. The victory, edging teammates Evan Spivey by three strokes and Michael Byrum by eight in the process, sent Robertson to his third straight Eastern Region Tournament.
``I told people I could have played better than I did,'' Robertson said, ``but it was solid enough to win.''
Something he failed to do after he got out of the regional and into the state tournament as a freshman and sophomore.
Robertson struggled in both appearances, far from the performances he and his coach expect. And well off target if he plans to play more than recreational beyond his high school days.
``I hope to play professionally,'' Robertson said. ``Right now, I'm working to get a free ride to college at whichever place will give me one and then the pro tour.''
Robertson, who turns 17 on Friday, shot 78-78-156 at the Payton Memorial in August and has been on a roll since.
``The very first time he walked on the course as a freshman . . . I watched him swing and I said, `this guy is going to be a golfer,''' Horne said.
And even on a rainy, cloudy day in October, Robertson does nothing to distort that notion. ILLUSTRATION: Shaun Robertson by CNB