Team Peoria hopes return to Coyote Creek will result in a River Cup win over Team Tazwood
By Steve Stein
Team Tazwood has won the championship of the River Cup Men's competition two straight years by the same 10.5 to 7.5 score over Team Peoria.
In 2024, it was at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria.
In 2025, it was across the Illinois River at Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin. The victory gave Team Tazwood its sixth win in eight years in the annual battle between the top amateur golfers in the area and increased its series lead over Team Peoria to 21-12.
"We grind and scratch and claw on Team Tazwood. We have a tight knit group on this side of the river. A lot of us are friends," captain Ryan Saurs said last year after the match at Lick Creek.
Team Peoria captain Ryan Julius was gracious in defeat.
"I was blessed and honored to be the captain," he said. "I did everything I could to get our team organized and prepared. Team Tazwood is a deserving champion. They took full advantage of their home course."
The last time Team Peoria beat Team Tazwood, in 2023, the River Cup was played at Coyote Creek Golf Course. The score was 10-8.
The River Cup returns to Coyote Creek this weekend for the first year of a four-year stay.
Team Peoria captain Scot Frankenreider hopes his squad wins again in Bartonville, but he knows it won't be easy.
"Both teams are loaded, so good," he said. "Everyone on our team needs to play his best against them because the match is rarely a blowout.
"Coyote Creek is in great shape, of course, it's one of the best tests in the area, but crazy things happen on this golf course. A big number is never out of the question."
Frankenreider said he's happy with the pairings for the six two-man best ball and 12 singles matches, which will be played June 13 and 14, respectively.
Before the pairings were determined, Frankenreider did a mock pairings draw "and they were pretty much what I wanted."
One pairing Frankenreider is particularly happy about is joining Brien Davis and John Ehrgott for a best ball match.
They teamed up to win the annual Chicago District Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2024, beating four-time winners and No. 1 seeds Chadd Slutsky and John Ramsey 4 and 3 in Rockford.
This is the 19th River Cup for Frankenreider, 59, who stepped away from 2009-22 to devote time to his family. He played in the River Cup Senior competition in 2022 before returning to the Men's competition.
Frankenreider served as the Team Peoria captain in the Men's competition in the early 2000s before taking a time out from the River Cup.
Team Tazwood's captain this year is Luke Gruden, who has never played in the River Cup but is a champion hockey player.
He helped the Peoria Rivermen win the ECHL's Kelly Cup in 2000 and later served as an assistant coach for the Rivermen.
Gruden knows the golfers on his roster from watching them play in River Cup matches the past several years.
He had a strategy for putting together Team Tazwood's best ball teams.
"I asked the guys, of course," he said. "Guys who play together a lot, have a comfort level with each other, and feed off and help each other make great teammates."
Coyote Creek is owned by Mike Maxheimer, son of the late Steve Maxheimer, who helped get the River Cup started in 1993 and won 90% of his River cup matches.
Steve also was a 10-time Illinois State Amateur champion before his death in 2002.
"I knew Steve," Frankenreider said. "He'd love to know his son's course was going to be the River Cup host for four years."
Gruden also is glad to see Coyote Creek host the River Cup until 2029. The Men's and Senior competitions will be held there this weekend, and the Junior competition will be at the course Aug. 1-2.
"The best players like to play the best courses, so why not play one of the best in the area?" Gruden said. "Coyote Creek also does a great job supporting the River Cup Foundation."
Here are this weekend's Men's competition pairings and tee times:
JUNE 13
BEST BALL
(Team Tazwood golfers listed first)
-- Tyler Schneider/Connor Watson vs. Scot Frankenreider/Ryan Julius, 11:00 a.m.
-- Curt Minkel/Mason Minkel vs. John Ehrgott/Brien Davis, 11:10 a.m.
-- Brian Draher/Jason Woll vs. Jeremy Ott/Andrew Wuethrich, 11:20 a.m.
-- Carter Stevenson/Colin Kemp vs. Scott Phegley/Britt Bothast, 11:30 a.m.
-- Austin Craig/Tim Sheppard vs. Steven Taylor/Ryan Brown, 11:40 a.m.
-- Ryan Saurs/Jon Hauter vs. Quinn Cox/Jack Coulter, 11:50 a.m.
JUNE 14
SINGLES
(Team Tazwood golfers listed first)
-- Jon Hauter vs. Scot Frankenreider, 11:00 a.m.
-- Ryan Saurs vs. John Ehrgott, 11:00 a.m.
-- Colin Kemp vs. Jack Coulter, 11:10 a.m.
-- Connor Watson vs. Quinn Cox, 11:10 a.m.
-- Tyler Schneider vs. Ryan Julius, 11:20 a.m.
-- Brian Draher vs. Andrew Wuethrich, 11:20 a.m.
-- Curt Minkel vs. Ryan Brown, 11:30 a.m.
-- Tim Sheppard vs. Britt Bothast, 11:30 a.m.
-- Carter Stevenson vs. Scott Phegley, 11:40 a.m.
-- Jason Woll vs. Jeremy Ott, 11:40 a.m.
-- Austin Craig vs. Brien Davis, 11:50 a.m.
-- Mason Minkel vs. Steven Taylor, 11:50 a.m.
Team Tazwood has won the championship of the River Cup Men's competition two straight years by the same 10.5 to 7.5 score over Team Peoria.
In 2024, it was at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria.
In 2025, it was across the Illinois River at Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin. The victory gave Team Tazwood its sixth win in eight years in the annual battle between the top amateur golfers in the area and increased its series lead over Team Peoria to 21-12.
"We grind and scratch and claw on Team Tazwood. We have a tight knit group on this side of the river. A lot of us are friends," captain Ryan Saurs said last year after the match at Lick Creek.
Team Peoria captain Ryan Julius was gracious in defeat.
"I was blessed and honored to be the captain," he said. "I did everything I could to get our team organized and prepared. Team Tazwood is a deserving champion. They took full advantage of their home course."
The last time Team Peoria beat Team Tazwood, in 2023, the River Cup was played at Coyote Creek Golf Course. The score was 10-8.
The River Cup returns to Coyote Creek this weekend for the first year of a four-year stay.
Team Peoria captain Scot Frankenreider hopes his squad wins again in Bartonville, but he knows it won't be easy.
"Both teams are loaded, so good," he said. "Everyone on our team needs to play his best against them because the match is rarely a blowout.
"Coyote Creek is in great shape, of course, it's one of the best tests in the area, but crazy things happen on this golf course. A big number is never out of the question."
Frankenreider said he's happy with the pairings for the six two-man best ball and 12 singles matches, which will be played June 13 and 14, respectively.
Before the pairings were determined, Frankenreider did a mock pairings draw "and they were pretty much what I wanted."
One pairing Frankenreider is particularly happy about is joining Brien Davis and John Ehrgott for a best ball match.
They teamed up to win the annual Chicago District Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2024, beating four-time winners and No. 1 seeds Chadd Slutsky and John Ramsey 4 and 3 in Rockford.
This is the 19th River Cup for Frankenreider, 59, who stepped away from 2009-22 to devote time to his family. He played in the River Cup Senior competition in 2022 before returning to the Men's competition.
Frankenreider served as the Team Peoria captain in the Men's competition in the early 2000s before taking a time out from the River Cup.
Team Tazwood's captain this year is Luke Gruden, who has never played in the River Cup but is a champion hockey player.
He helped the Peoria Rivermen win the ECHL's Kelly Cup in 2000 and later served as an assistant coach for the Rivermen.
Gruden knows the golfers on his roster from watching them play in River Cup matches the past several years.
He had a strategy for putting together Team Tazwood's best ball teams.
"I asked the guys, of course," he said. "Guys who play together a lot, have a comfort level with each other, and feed off and help each other make great teammates."
Coyote Creek is owned by Mike Maxheimer, son of the late Steve Maxheimer, who helped get the River Cup started in 1993 and won 90% of his River cup matches.
Steve also was a 10-time Illinois State Amateur champion before his death in 2002.
"I knew Steve," Frankenreider said. "He'd love to know his son's course was going to be the River Cup host for four years."
Gruden also is glad to see Coyote Creek host the River Cup until 2029. The Men's and Senior competitions will be held there this weekend, and the Junior competition will be at the course Aug. 1-2.
"The best players like to play the best courses, so why not play one of the best in the area?" Gruden said. "Coyote Creek also does a great job supporting the River Cup Foundation."
Here are this weekend's Men's competition pairings and tee times:
JUNE 13
BEST BALL
(Team Tazwood golfers listed first)
-- Tyler Schneider/Connor Watson vs. Scot Frankenreider/Ryan Julius, 11:00 a.m.
-- Curt Minkel/Mason Minkel vs. John Ehrgott/Brien Davis, 11:10 a.m.
-- Brian Draher/Jason Woll vs. Jeremy Ott/Andrew Wuethrich, 11:20 a.m.
-- Carter Stevenson/Colin Kemp vs. Scott Phegley/Britt Bothast, 11:30 a.m.
-- Austin Craig/Tim Sheppard vs. Steven Taylor/Ryan Brown, 11:40 a.m.
-- Ryan Saurs/Jon Hauter vs. Quinn Cox/Jack Coulter, 11:50 a.m.
JUNE 14
SINGLES
(Team Tazwood golfers listed first)
-- Jon Hauter vs. Scot Frankenreider, 11:00 a.m.
-- Ryan Saurs vs. John Ehrgott, 11:00 a.m.
-- Colin Kemp vs. Jack Coulter, 11:10 a.m.
-- Connor Watson vs. Quinn Cox, 11:10 a.m.
-- Tyler Schneider vs. Ryan Julius, 11:20 a.m.
-- Brian Draher vs. Andrew Wuethrich, 11:20 a.m.
-- Curt Minkel vs. Ryan Brown, 11:30 a.m.
-- Tim Sheppard vs. Britt Bothast, 11:30 a.m.
-- Carter Stevenson vs. Scott Phegley, 11:40 a.m.
-- Jason Woll vs. Jeremy Ott, 11:40 a.m.
-- Austin Craig vs. Brien Davis, 11:50 a.m.
-- Mason Minkel vs. Steven Taylor, 11:50 a.m.