By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
On one of the final shots of her high school golf career, Waterford’s Taitum Beck hit a walnut tree.
The shot jarred loose dozens of walnuts, and sent them falling to the ground near the 18th green during the final round of the WIAA Division 1 State Girls Golf Tournament Oct. 11 at University Ridge in Madison.
“We had a really good laugh about the result of the shot,” Wolverines coach Robb Shales said. “It is something I will never forget.”
Beck, a senior at Waterford Union, finished 14th in a field of 78 golfers at University Ridge. Beck finished with a round of 80 Oct. 10 and shot 79 on Oct. 11 for a two-day total of 159. She finished 15 strokes over par. University Ridge played-out as a 5,216-yard, par 72 course for the state meet.
“I worked really hard for it,” Beck said. “It’s nice to see all of my hard work pay off. It’s rewarding.”
Hartland Arrowhead’s Emily Lauterbach won Division 1 individual medalist honors. Lauterbach shot a 70 Monday and a 72 Tuesday for a two-day total of 142.
Chuckling with her coach about the fate of wayward walnuts marks a decisive turn in Beck’s game in just a year’s time. Beck missed the state golf meet by one stroke as a junior after losing a playoff at a WIAA Division 1 sectional meet.
Taken as an individual event, it’s not so bad. But Beck’s bad luck came in spades. She missed state by one stroke as a sophomore, also after losing a playoff at a WIAA Division 1 sectional meet.
“The first time, it was hard for me because one of my teammates went,” Beck said. “I had to be a god teammate and be happy for her, but it was very upsetting.
“The second year, I worked very hard my junior season, and I just couldn’t pull it together at the right time.”
On the advice of those in her golfing world, Beck put the game down for a time after missing state as a junior – not an easy task for a prolific, young golfer who plays tournaments all summer and really never stops practicing.
Perhaps more importantly, her parents made her put pen to paper after she missed state as a junior.
“My parents actually had me write a letter that night about how I was feeling,” Beck said. When I was not feeling motivated, I would read it. It helped me stay motivated all summer and offseason.”
Beck advanced to state this season after winning her second playoff hole against Janesville Parker’s Sophia Doorman Oct. 3 at a WIAA Division 1 sectional tournament at Brighton Dale Links in Kansasville.
Shales said friends and family greeted Beck with hugs on the green after she beat Doorman. Beck and Doorman each finished at 81 after 18 holes.
The top two teams and top three individuals not part of one of the top two teams advance from the sectional to the state tournament.
“Going in, I thought she had a real chance at upsetting the field for a top-six finish,” Shales said of Beck’s chances at state. “She played very well, and I am very very proud of how she handled herself with adversity both days.”
Beck’s 80 on Monday included a 10 on No. 6, a 442-yard par 5. Shales said the high number is the product of one loose swing.
“She hit her worse drive of the event right into the fescue,” Shales said. “We were able to find the ball, but it was an awful lie.”
It took Beck two strokes to clear the deep rough, and even then she got a bad break with another tough lie. Adding insult to injury, a putt lipped-out for her ninth stroke on the hole. Shales said her 80 on the first day is one of the better 80s he’s seen.
Beck improved her score by one stroke under tougher conditions on day two of the state tournament. Beck said the wind picked up, which likely dried out the greens and led to increased ball speed, and the pin positions were tough.
Shales said he and Beck enjoyed a moment walking up the 18th green after what he said was her best tee shot of the tournament. Beck said she plans to play collegiately, and she enjoyed her final moments as a prep golfer.
“Once the feeling set in that the season and her high school career were coming to a close, she remained confident and collected,” Shales said. “We decided to try to put on a show for the crowd on her last hole, going for the green in two.”
And then Beck smacked a walnut tree on the 286-yard, par 4. Hopefully, the crowd went nuts, and Beck ended her time as a high school golfer with a feeling of joy.
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