Barrington's Frankenberg boogies with bogey

Even after shooting a 1-under-par 71 Monday in the Lake County Invitational at Bonnie Brook Golf Course, Barrington senior Ross Frankenberg was not satisfied.

"I bogeyed the last hole and that doesn't leave a good taste in your mouth," he said.

About an hour later, it was clear all bogeys are not created equal. Frankenberg's bogey on the par-3, 177-yard 17th secured his victory in a three-way sudden death playoff.0A

"All you're trying to do is score lower than your opponents," said Frankenberg, whose 71 in regulation was matched by senior teammate Travis Smyczynski and Highland Park sophomore Scott Mann.

All three players made par on the first playoff hole. Smyczynski was eliminated after a bogey on the second hole of the playoff.

Frankenberg only needed a bogey on the third playoff hole when Mann's tee shot at No. 17 landed in a water hazard. Mann's third shot came up about 40 feet short of the flag as did his bogey putt. Frankenberg had pulled his tee shot just left of the green, and his downhill chip shot went about six feet past the hole. From there, he easily 2-putted.

The play of Frankenberg and Smyczynski helped Barrington (298) win its first tournament of the year. The Broncos had placed second in their opening two tournaments. Highland Park (301) and Mundelein (311) were second and third, respectively.

It's been quite a start of the season for Frankenberg, who has placed first in all three tournaments. He has played his opening 54 holes in 4-under-par. Last week, Frankenberg made a verbal commitment to play golf for the University of Illinois.

"You have to work hard to shoot 71 in this wind," said Frankenberg, who estimated the wind gusted to about 15 mph. "I had to keep shots under the wind to control the distance."

Barrington coach Mike Kallenbach was not surprised with how Frankenberg performed in the playoff.

"He's very composed in pressure situations," Kallenbach said.

Mann, who played junior varsity for most of last season, made quite a statement with his play.

On the second playoff hole, Mann left his birdie effort about 6 feet short. He confidently made the testing putt to prolong the playoff.

"I was making those putts all day," Mann said.

In the playoff, Frankenberg was hitting it about 40 yards past Mann.

"He was (tough)," Frankenberg said. "I was playing some holes with driver and 8-iron where he was hitting driver and 3-wood."

Smyczynski put together his best round at Barrington to reach the playoff. His previous low score was 76.

"He really worked on his game over the summer and it's carried over into the season," Kallenbach said.

On the first playoff hole, Smyczynski's approach shot ballooned in the wind and fell about 20 yards short. He responded with a chip shot that came to rest less than three feet from the hole.

"That's a shot I practice a lot," Smyczynski said. "I land it about 15 feet short, let it hop twice and spin."

Barrington also counted scores from Jason Batliner (76) and Nick Shiavi (80).

Pat McGrath's round of 76 helped Mundelein to its best performance of the season. McGrath hit 14 greens in regulation and did not have a single three-putt. In the previous tournament, he three-putted six times.

McGrath along with teammates Andrew Adamsick (78), Eric Nelson (78), Ben Schroeder (79) and Sean Forsythe (79) all placed in the top 15.

"This could be our best year," Schroeder said. "We have lots of people who can shoot in the 70s and have the potential to go low."

The bright spot for Stevenson was the play of Ryan Colbourn (76). He finished in a five-way tie for fifth.