'Feel Good' Finish For Frigo At Sectional

Mari Frigo finished with a birdie on the last hole of her high school golf career Monday.

But the Evanston senior couldn’t keep up with a field that was on fire at the Barrington Sectional tournament.

Despite posting her second lowest 18-hole score of the season --- an 83 --- the Evanston senior fell short in her bid to advance to next week’s Illinois High School Association state finals.

Competing on a short course measuring less than 5,000 yards, the rest of the field set a torrid pace and Frigo wasn’t able to keep up despite turning in a round that featured 7 pars in addition to that lone birdie.

Medalist Reese Wallace, a sophomore from Barrington, racked up a winning score of 66 and seven other golfers were under par at the par 71 Bonnie Dundee Golf Club course located in Carpentersville.

How tough was the competition? The cutoff score for automatic individual qualifiers who weren’t members of qualifying teams was just 75, compared to 83 at the Normal University High Sectional; 84 at the Rockford Boylan Sectional; and 84 at the Sandburg Sectional.

Glenbrook North (285), Barrington (288) and Stevenson (296) claimed the top three spots in the team standings.

Frigo’s “feel good” finish with a birdie on the No. 9 hole left her with a good taste to the end of her high school career, if not the coveted trip to the state tournament.

“Going into it, I knew it was a short course and I knew some of these girls would tear up that course,” Frigo said. “I knew it would be difficult to qualify. All I could do was play my best. On some of the (short) holes I was able to hit the ball pretty far and get within a 60 to 80-yard chip. But the greens were really hard, and that’s where I struggled the most.

“Still, this was a good way to end my high school career.”

The ETHS senior saved her best for last with a birdie on No. 9.

“My drive on that hole wasn’t great --- it was off to the right --- but I hit my 7-iron about five feet away from the pin, and made the putt,” she said. “Honestly, I think I played fine. I did all I could do. But hanging out afterward and looking at that leaderboard, it was just crazy!

“It was super competitive today and it was a lot of fun for me to be out there. I didn’t over-think things today. I just wanted to end up on a good note, and I think I did that. I definitely loved playing at Evanston all four years. I loved the competitiveness, and I loved the team environment. The girls I played with each year were so nice and this is exactly the experience I wanted to have in high school sports. And it’s exactly the experience I’d want others to have, too.”