Barrington golfer makes a special dedication

Competitors who played in the Class 3A boys golf finals in Bloomington were the area's elite, and it obviously was the thrill of a lifetime to match shots against the state's best.

It was certainly all of that for Barrington's Charlie Douglas, but the senior had a more important reason to tee it up at the state tourney.

Douglas dedicated the tournament to his grandfather, Kenneth J. Douglas, a former CEO of Dean's Foods who died Wednesday night on the eve of Barrington's trip to state.

"I etched his initials and age (85) in all of the golf balls I played at the tournament," said Douglas, who carded a 76 on Saturday to help lead the Broncos to a fourth-place state finals finish.

"He got Alzheimer's in 2000," the senior said, "and that slowed him down a lot. He loved the game of golf, and we would play together all the time. When I was 6 or 7, we'd play from the same tees -- the senior tees.

"He was a phenomenal person, and I hope to follow in his footsteps. Every time I teed it up, I said to myself, 'OK, Gramps, let's do this.' ''

Solid show: Barrington junior Ross Frankenberg entered Saturday's final round at Bloomington with a 2-shot lead in the individual title race and followed up his first round of 70 with another excellent score.

However, he couldn't hold off a hard-charging Luke Guthrie of Quincy.

Guthrie won his second straight individual title with a final day 67, a round that included 7 birdies.

Frankenberg came away with the second-place medal but was more focused on the Broncos' team accomplishments.

"We were fifth last year," said the junior, "and fourth this year, so hopefully next season will be even better."

Vikes impress: Fremd didn't qualify for the 3A tourney as a team, but the two Vikings who played as individuals did their school proud.

Sophomore Sean Jones tied for eighth-place individual medal with a two-day total of 151 that included a 1-over 73 on Saturday.

Senior teammate Erik Peterson was just 1 shot behind with a 152, and tied for 12th in the field of 106 golfers at the Den at Fox Creek.

"I had 15 or 20 people following me," said Jones, "and I knew people were watching the leader board, so I must have been doing something right."

Peterson fired a 76 on the final day and knew he could have placed even higher except for a triple-bogey on No. 5.

"It was a little frustrating," said Peterson. "I made some stupid mistakes (at the 5th). I put two in the water."