By Steve Stein

Will history repeat itself this weekend in the River Cup Senior competition at Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin? 
Team Peoria golfers sure hope so. Back in 2020, the last time Lick Creek hosted the River Cup, Team Peoria fell behind Team Tazwood 5-1 after the first day best ball matches.
The singles matches on the second day were a different story. Team Peoria won eight of the 12 matches, halved another, and rallied to beat Team Tazewell 9.5 to 8.5. 
That come-from-behind victory is part of a run of seven wins in a row and 11 victories in 13 years for Team Peoria that has given the golfers from west of the Illinois River an 18-7 advantage in the annual series, now in its 26th year.
Team Tazwood has won only twice since 2012, in 2012 and 2017.
This could be the year the tide turns in Team Tazwood's favor, predicts long-time Team Peoria captain Tim Walters. Then again, maybe not.
"This could be the most competitive River Cup Senior match in a decade, or we could get slaughtered. I'm preaching to our guys that we're the underdog," said Walters, who is playing in the River Cup for the 14th year and is in his 12th year as the Team Peoria captain.
"They (Team Tazwood) have five or six new good young golfers, and we're getting older," Walters said. "But if we play well, we can keep it close."
In addition to the new players on the Team Tazwood roster, a familiar face has returned. After playing in the River Cup Men's competition last year, Tim Saurs has returned to the Senior (age 50 and older) division.
"Tim is amazing," Walters said. "At age 68, he's a scratch golfer."
Team Peoria's lengthy hot streak has been fueled by a solid core of nine or 10 golfers, Walters said, while Team Tazwood has had more turnover amongst its roster.
Eric Dicks is the Team Tazwood captain.
Here's the schedule of this weekend's River Cup Senior competition matches:

SATURDAY'S MATCHES
BEST BALL
(Team Peoria golfers listed first)
-- Rick Lehew/Rod Jackson vs. Tom Oshinski/Ed Whitaker, 8:30 a.m.
-- Tom Hammerton/Tim Walters vs. Tim Saurs/Eric Dicks, 8:40 a.m.
-- Mark Greskoviak/Jeff Ott vs. Barry Neal/Ken Gibson, 8:50 a.m.
-- Tim Krause/Bob Chung vs. Derek Anderson/Jim Olt, 9 a.m.
-- Dan Moran/Adam Angst vs. Scott Hooste/Chris Fort, 9:10 a.m.
-- Bo Cleveland/Jeff White vs. Scott Belsly/Chris Frasco, 9:20 a.m.

SUNDAY'S MATCHES
SINGLES
-- Rick Lehew vs. Barry Neal, 7:30 a.m.
-- Rod Jackson vs. Ken Gibson, 7:30 a.m.
-- Bob Chung vs. Tim Saurs, 7:40 a.m.
-- Tim Krause vs. Eric Dicks, 7:40 a.m.
-- Tom Hammerton vs. Tom Oshinski, 7:50 a.m.
-- Tim Walters vs. Ed Whitaker, 7:50 a.m.
-- Bo Cleveland vs. Scott Hooste, 8 a.m.
-- Jeff White vs. Chris Fort, 8 a.m.
-- Dan Moran vs. Derek Anderson, 8:10 a.m.
-- Adam Angst vs. Jim Olt, 8:10 a.m.
-- Mark Greskoviak vs. Scott Belsly, 8:20 a.m.
-- Jeff Ott vs. Chris Frasco, 8:20 a.m.

By Steve Stein

In addition to sharing the same first name, the two captains in this year's River Cup Men's competition are taking the same approach to the annual battle between the best golfers on each side of the Illinois River in central Illinois.
"We're definitely the underdog," said Team Peoria captain Ryan Julius. "We're going to have to go out and make some birdies to keep up."
"Our mentality is the same. We're the underdog," Team Tazwood captain Ryan Saurs said in reaction to Julius' declaration.
"We're missing one of our best guys (Bradley University golfer Carter Stevenson, who recently underwent hip surgery) and a couple other top guys couldn't play this year," Saurs said.
Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin, a challenging 6,964-yard, par-72 layout, is the site this weekend of the 33rd annual River Cup Men's competition and the 26th annual Senior competition.
Does that give the Team Tazwood Men's team the home course advantage as it pursues its sixth win over Team Peoria in eight years and looks to increase its 20-12 series advantage after last year's 10 1/2 to 7 1-2 win at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria?
Maybe.
"I've told our guys we know Lick Creek is a tough course. Don't complain about it. Embrace the challenge," Julius said. "We've practiced there. I think we're as prepared as we can be to take on Team Tazwood at their home course."
Saurs doesn't think playing at Lick Creek will make a difference for his team.
"It doesn't matter which side of the river we play on in the River Cup. Everyone on both teams knows the courses," he said. "That certainly includes Lick Creek."
Julius, a first-time team captain, is confident his team will do well this weekend even though, in his eyes, Team Peoria is the underdog.
"We have a tight-knit, talented team with great camaraderie," he said. "And I'm very happy with how the pairings shook out."
Those pairings include two matches involving the two captains.
They'll play in the final best ball match of the day Saturday (Brien Davis is Julius' partner and Jon Hauter is Saurs' partner) and in one of the leadoff singles matches Sunday.
"I wanted to be one of the first ones done Sunday so I can watch our guys play the rest of the day," said Saurs, who will be competing in his 22nd River Cup and is a team captain for the second time.
Despite the loss of Stevenson and others, Team Tazwood still has a talented team that includes a recently crowned collegiate national champion.
River Cup veteran Curt Minkel and his son Mason Minkel, a former Pekin Community High School golf star who was a member of the NCAA Division II champion University of West Florida men's golf team this spring, will team up for a best ball match Saturday against Team Peoria's Scott Phegley and Steven Taylor.
Father and son will play key singles matches Sunday vs. Britt Bothast and Taylor, respectively.
"It's a blessing to play again with my dad in a River Cup best ball match. The River Cup is very important to us," said Mason Minkel, who has transferred to NCAA Division I Virginia Commonwealth University for his final collegiate golf season.
Lick Creek is a Pekin Park District course. Cory Proehl is the director of golf for the Park District.
He said Lick Creek is in its best shape ever. That's saying something, because the course opened in 1976 and has been heralded for years as one of the top courses in Illinois.
The last time Lick Creek hosted the River Cup was in 2020, just after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, in addition to the Men's and Senior competitions, the River Cup Junior competition was held on the same weekend instead of at a different time.
"We hosted the River Cup in 2020, but it didn't feel like we did," Proehl said.
That's because multiple special rules were in place, dictated by the state of Illinois, United States Golf Association and Chicago District Golf Association, to keep players healthy.
Everyone had to be at least six feet apart at all times, or wear a mask. Frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer were encouraged. There were no rakes in the bunkers. Flagsticks couldn't be touched. Caddies were not allowed. 
If a player had a temperature, was ill, or was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 within 14 days before the start of the River Cup, that player would have had to withdraw. 
To ensure the rules were followed, each player needed to sign a waiver.
"We were in unchartered territory back then," Proehl said. "My biggest job that year was to protect everyone from getting sick, including myself."
Excluding 2020, the last time Lick Creek hosted the River Cup was in 2000.
"With no disrespect to the golfers who played here in 2020, we truly feel like this is the first time we're hosting the River Cup in 25 years," Proehl said.
Here's the schedule of this weekend's River Cup Men's competition matches:

SATURDAY'S MATCHES
BEST BALL
(Team Peoria golfers listed first)
-- Britt Bothast/Ryan Brown vs. Jason Woll/Brian Draher, 7:30 a.m.
-- Jeremy Ott/Andrew Wuethrich vs. Zach Heinold/Connor Watson, 7:40 a.m.
-- John Ehrgott/Jordan Fahel vs. Tim Sheppard/Austin Craig, 7:50 a.m.
-- Doug Middendorf/Scot Frankenreider vs. Jason Boeker/Ryan Cusack, 8 a.m.
-- Scott Phegley/Steven Taylor vs. Curt Minkel/Mason Minkel, 8:10 a.m.
-- Brien Davis/Ryan Julius vs. Ryan Saurs/Jon Hauter, 8:20 a.m.

SUNDAY'S MATCHES
SINGLES
-- Ryan Julius vs. Ryan Saurs, 8:30 a.m.
-- Brien Davis vs. Jon Hauter, 8:30 a.m.
-- Doug Middendorf vs. Connor Watson, 8:40 a.m.
-- Steven Taylor vs. Mason Minkel, 8:40 a.m.
-- Andrew Wuethrich vs. Ryan Cusack, 8:50 a.m.
-- Jeremy Ott vs. Jason Boeker, 8:50 a.m.
-- Ryan Brown vs. Zach Heinold, 9 a.m.
-- Britt Bothast vs. Curt Minkel, 9 a.m.
-- Scot Frankenreider vs. Jason Woll, 9:10 a.m.
-- Scott Phegley vs. Brian Draher, 9:10 a.m.
-- Jordan Fahel vs. Tim Sheppard, 9:20 a.m.
-- John Ehrgott vs. Austin Craig, 9:20 a.m.