Rob Schultz: WIAA rule could help Arkin make history at state golf tourney
There was polite applause when Reedsburg's Ellie Arkin drilled a 15-foot putt for birdie to defeat Madison West's Mike Battista for medalist honors at a WIAA Division 1 boys golf sectional last week.
Some might attribute the lack of enthusiasm from the predominantly male gallery at Waunakee's Meadows of Sixmile Creek to the fact that a girl beat a boy. The real reason many people were muttering under their breath -- and plenty of that could be heard during the post-playoff walk back to the clubhouse -- was because they believed Arkin won by taking advantage of an unfair WIAA rule.
The rule states that girls who are forced to play golf on a boys team because their high school doesn't have a girls team, must play from tees set up to make the course play 15 percent shorter than what the boys play. It's a rule that will command much attention Monday and Tuesday during the WIAA state boy's golf tournament at University Ridge.
Arkin, a multi-talented senior, is one of the favorites to earn medalist honors -- and nationwide attention -- because of the rule that will have her playing a University Ridge course that probably will be around 1,000 yards shorter than what the boys will play.
While nobody has ever said anything negative about the engaging Arkin, who will play for the University of Wisconsin women's golf team starting this fall, it's hard for anybody outside of the WIAA and Arkin's circle of family and friends to say anything positive about that rule.
But rule or no rule, Arkin has a big fan in Sherri Steinhauer.
There is no better authority in this state on women's golf than Steinhauer, the LPGA Tour player from Madison. She is the greatest woman golfer in the history of this state. She dominated tournaments as a junior before heading to Texas and earning All-America status and then the LPGA, where she has had an illustrious career.
When asked if she's going to be pulling for Arkin at the WIAA tournament, Steinhauer answered Sunday evening with an emphatic, "absolutely.''
Steinhauer, who once coached a group of juniors that included Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lincicome to a junior Solheim Cup title, didn't hesitate to call that WIAA rule unfair when asked about it two years ago. But she has changed her mind.
First, Steinhauer likes the idea that a girl who goes to a high school without a girls golf team has a chance to compete with the boys. She also believes that shortening a course 15 percent for girls is too much.
Steinhauer thinks that shortening a course 10 percent for girls would be more fair for everybody. At University Ridge, if Arkin plays the course about 1,000 yards shorter, that will be an average of 55.5 fewer yards per hole.
"That's a lot,'' Steinhauer said. "But I think it's great she's playing with (the boys). As far as the number, I'm afraid with golf it's always going to be an argument. I don't think anyone will ever agree on it, or what it should be. Whatever they choose, you just have to go with it. I'm glad she's got the opportunity to play.''
Arkin loves the rule for obvious reasons. Besides the fact she is athletic and intelligent, Arkin is ultra-competitive.
She also has excelled playing hockey and tennis at Reedsburg and is the valedictorian of her class that will be graduating soon. She even has a slick-looking Web site: www.elliearkin.com. It includes a cute biography, pictures of Arkin and her family, a long list of all the honors she has received, a copy of her high school transcript that reveals a perfect 4.0 grade point average and a letter of recommendation from her English teacher that is beyond glowing.
So Arkin learned long ago to seek out competitive advantage, whether it's studying harder than everybody else for a test or reading more books to get better grades. In golf, she can't hit drives like Michelle Wie, but the WIAA rule gives Arkin a bigger advantage than if she could drive like Wie.
Thus, when asked of the WIAA rule that allows her to compete with the biggest hitters in high school golf, the 5-foot-4 1/2 Arkin shrugged and said, "It makes sense to me.''
That was very evident during her playoff with Battista that was needed after both finished their rounds with strong 1-under par 71s in windy conditions. She won the playoff, which lasted three holes, despite the fact that her drives were about 50-60 yards shorter than Battista's drives. That allowed her to use her talented short game to fire at the pins instead of mid-range irons that aren't generally as accurate.
Arkin got a 60-yard advantage on the first playoff hole -- the par-4 10th -- and her drive was just behind Battista's, so she needed just a short iron for her approach. She got an 86-yard advantage on the second playoff hole -- the par-4 18th -- and her drive ended up 42 yards ahead of Battista's drive. She needed just a wedge from 88 yards for her approach.
Finally, on the decisive third playoff hole, Arkin teed off 57 yards ahead of Battista on the short par-4 and was able to avoid the greenside bunkers that gobbled up Battista's ball. She used a wedge for her shot to the green from a grassy greenside mound.
There is little doubt that Arkin will be a standout golfer with the Badgers. She is so personable that she has a good chance of surpassing former UW basketball player Clayton Hanson as Reedsburg's most popular athletic star.
But for now she's the girl who many believe is taking advantage of a rule that is unfair to the boys she's competing with at the state tournament. If she wins Tuesday afternoon at the Ridge, there might be a stampede to the WIAA offices by male golfers to get that rule changed.
Arkin admitted she would have liked to have played with the boys from their tees in a tournament some time in her high school career.
"I like my 7-wood,'' she said with a smile.
File photo
Some say Reedsburg's Ellie Arkin won the WIAA Division 1 boys golf sectional last week by taking advantage of an unfair league rule.
