June 27, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB men's golf coach Alan Kaufman landed two additional standout golfers who will join the Blazers next season in Jason Shufflebotham and John Darby. The duo joins fall signees Mike Oimoen and Blake Watts as what Kaufman deemed as possibly one of the best recruiting classes in school history.

"This is a terrific recruiting class," Kaufman said. "It is the best one since 1999 when Graeme McDowell and Daniel Osley came to UAB. I am very excited about this class and I feel they are all going to make an immediate impact next season. With the addition of these four, mixed with the guys who we have returning, I think the future of UAB golf is very bright."

Shufflebotham recently displayed his skills at the 2007 British Amateur Championships at Royal Lytham. The Prestatyn, Wales native defeated the event's No. 1 overall seed on his way to an appearance in the semifinals of the match play event. However, his dream of becoming the first Welsh winner of the Amateur Golf Championship in 18 years disappeared when he fell to eventual champion Drew Weaver, 2&1. He comes to UAB as the No. 2-ranked junior golfer in his country.

Darby is another highly touted golfer who comes to UAB as a transfer from Faulkner State Community College. Like Shufflebotham, Darby also had recent success as an amateur, as he shot rounds of 72-74/146 to claim the lone qualifying spot in the state qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. The amateur national championship will be played July 9-14 at Catigny Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. Darby, a product of Hoover High School, spent one season at Faulkner State where he claimed two titles (Wallace State-Hanceville at Terri Pines and Faulkner State at Rock Creek), as well as four other All-Tournament (top five) finishes. He will have three years of eligibility left at UAB.

Oimoen is a junior college All-American golfer from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College. Ironically, it is the same school that current UAB golfer Brad Smith attended. Oimoen is currently ranked No. 3 among junior college golfers after the fall season. He also had a standout high school career, earning first team all-state honors on three occasions, as well as the 2005 Class 3A Player of the Year.

Watts, who is currently a senior at Fort Payne High School, is considered one of the top golfers in the state of Alabama. Last summer, Watts proved that by capturing two titles during the Southeastern junior golf events. He also finished tied for second in the 2005 Alabama High School golf championship, carding a 150 (75-75).