By Steve Stein

Team Peoria defeated Team Tazwood 11-7 last weekend in the 25th annual Junior River Cup golf competition, cutting Team Tazwood's lead in the series to 17-8.

But everyone left Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria a winner late Sunday afternoon after Team Peoria was presented the championship trophy. 

The team captains. The golfers. The spectators. The caddies. The tournament officials. All winners. All agreed Mt. Hawley was a wonderful host and the course was presented beautifully.

Each endured hot, muggy weather Saturday and Sunday to play or witness two great days of golf that featured several close matches, clutch shots, and exemplary sportsmanship.

"I played in the Junior River Cup when I was a kid. It was great to see another generation of golfers do that and compete so hard. There was a high level of talent out there," said Team Peoria captain Patrick Hogan, who filled in for longtime captain Daniel Young, who was out of town. 

"I'm especially proud of the kids on my team who found a way to win while not playing their best golf," Hogan said. "And several of our guys did a great job finishing. A lot of matches came down to the final holes."

One of the close matches was the last one Sunday. Team Peoria's Brock Brown made a long birdie putt on the 17th hole to tie his individual match against Team Tazwood's Connor Watson. Both golfers then birdied the 18th hole.

Team Tazwood captain Gregg Guenther said the golfers on both teams "all won by qualifying to compete in this tournament. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone will do this fall on their school's team."

Guenther said his Team Tazwood golfers played as well as they could, but Team Peoria was just too good.

Guenther also said he was delighted to see so many former Junior River Cup golfers return to the tournament to work as caddies this year.

"More than usual," he said. "That says something about how much they enjoyed playing in the tournament."

River Cup Foundation President Matt Fahel said he was humbled by the number of parents, grandparents, other family members and spectators who came out to watch the matches on such hot days. "It makes what we do worthwhile,"

Team Peoria and Team Tazwood each had 12 golfers on its roster, four in the under-15 age group and eight in the 16-18 age group. 

Each golfer had a story to tell. Here are Luke Johnson and Cooper Hansen's stories.

Johnson won his best ball match Saturday and individual match Sunday to help Team Peoria win the championship.

The Dunlap High School junior golfer lost both of his Junior River Cup matches last year. He said he used the match play experience he gained playing in the 2023 Junior River Cup and the two defeats as motivation this year.

Sage advice from Hogan and Johnson's family members was another weapon in Johnson's arsenal. They all told him to have a short memory during his matches.

Johnson put the advice to good use in his individual match Sunday vs. Team Tazwood's Owen Adams.

"I was 2-down after two holes," he said. "But I said to myself, 'That's done,' and moved on."

Johnson ended up winning the match 4 and 2.

Hansen played golf for three years at Delavan High School, helping the Panthers win three consecutive Tomahawk Conference championships. He'll be playing his fall for the men's golf team at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg.

Hansen didn't win either of his Junior River Cup matches (one draw and one loss) and Team Tazwood didn't win the championship, but those were the only downers of the weekend for him.

"Delavan's golf team doesn't play the big schools in the area like the schools in the Mid-Illini Conference. I showed (in the Junior River Cup) that I can compete with the big dogs," Hansen said. "Plus, this tournament was great preparation for college golf."

Hansen was in the last group Saturday, which meant the entire gallery and many of the golfers surrounded the 18th hole green to watch the conclusion of his best ball match.

"I felt a little pressure. But that was good," Hansen said.

His 15-foot putt for par on the 17th hole put his best ball team 1-up and secured at least a tie for the match. The match ended up in a draw. 

Here are the results of the matches in the 25th annual Junior River Cup:

SATURDAY AUGUST 3RD RESULTS
BEST BALL MATCHES

 AGES 15-UNDER
-- Jacob Shelby-Shane Cunningham (P) draw with Will Brown-Paxten Heinold.
-- Colin Kemp-Court Bohanan (T) def. Nick Herget-Crew Fortin 2 and 1.
AGES 16-18
-- Brock Brown-Jack Coulter (P) def. Owen Adams-Jacob Anderson 6 and 5.
-- Tanner Wake-Drew Gama (P) def. Luke Martin-Jack Lehman 1-up.
-- Nolan Eccles-Luke Johnson (P) def. Connor Watson-Nick Unes 3 and 2.
-- Chris Drake-Bennett Toews (P) draw with Gavin Schreurs-Cooper Hansen.

SATURDAY TEAM SCORE
-- Peoria 4, Tazwood 2.

SUNDAY AUGUST 4TH RESULTS
INDIVIDUAL MATCHES

AGES 15-UNDER
-- Jacob Shelby (P) draw with Paxten Heinold
-- Will Brown (T) def. Shane Cunningham 2 and 1.
-- Nick Herget (P) def. Court Bohanan 3 and 1.
-- Crew Fortin (P) def. Colin Kemp 4 and 2.

AGES 16-18
-- Tanner Wake (P) def. Luke Martin 5 and 4.
-- Jack Lehman (T) def. Chris Drake 3 and 2.
-- Jacob Anderson (T) def. Bennett Toews 5 and 3.
-- Luke Johnson (P) def. Owen Adams 4 and 2.
-- Drew Gama (P) def. Cooper Hansen 4 and 3.
-- Nick Unes (T) def. Jack Coulter 2 and 1.
-- Nolan Eccles (P) def. Gavin Schreurs 3 and 2.
-- Brock Brown (P) draw with Connor Watson.

SUNDAY TEAM SCORE
-- Peoria 7, Tazwood 5.


FINAL SCORE
-- Peoria 11, Tazwood 7.

By Steve Stein

The best young golfers in central Illinois will tee it up this weekend at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria.
What's the occasion? The 25th annual Junior River Cup competition.

Team Tazwood will take on Team Peoria in two-golfer best ball matches Saturday and individual matches Sunday. There are a dozen golfers on each team, eight in the 16-18 age group and four in the under-15 age group.

Playing on its "home" course, Team Peoria will look this weekend to end Team Tazwood's two-year winning streak and cut into Team Tazwood's 17-7 record in the overall series.

While the Junior River Cup championship and bragging rights for a year will be up for grabs this weekend, there's no doubt a large number of golfers who played on both teams in the Junior River Cup over the past 24 years went on to have outstanding high school and collegiate careers, and even turn pro.


Among them are Drake Bushong, Jordan Fahel, Mason Ghidina, Jonathan Hauter, Jonathan Krick, Pete and Tommy Kuhl, Mason Minkel, David Perkins, Scott Phegley, Carter Stevenson, Weston Walker and Jason Woll.

Minkel, now a senior on the NCAA Division II power University of West Florida men's golf team after a stellar golf career at Pekin Community High School, went 9-0-1 in five Junior River Cup competitions, helping Team Tazwood win four times.

Winning nine out of his 10 Junior River Cup matches was great, Minkel said, and so was the experience. 

"It was one of the first times I played in front of news cameras and crowds," Minkel said.

Who will emerge from this year's Junior River Cup rosters to join the list of Junior River Cup alumni greats? That's to be determined.


Gregg Guenther is in his sixth year as the Team Tazwood captain. He has a 3-2 record. Guenther has been the coach of the Midwest Central High School golf team since 1997, the year he founded the program at the Manito school.

Patrick Hogan is filling in for his friend Daniel Young this weekend as the Team Peoria captain. Young, who has been the Team Peoria captain for nine years, is out of town. Hogan is heading into his 10th season as the coach of the Peoria Richwoods High School boys golf team.

"I know how much the Junior River Cup means to Danny, so I told him I'd take care of everything while he was gone," Hogan said.

Each captain has a past connection to the Junior River Cup.

Guenther was a caddy when he was younger. Hogan played for Team Peoria in the 2003 Junior River Cup at Pine Lakes Golf Course in Washington. He won his best ball match with teammate Trevor Fitch, and halved his individual match against Alex Harrington, helping Team Peoria win 7-5.

"If I remember correctly, I won the 18th hole with a birdie from the bunker to halve the match against Alex," Hogan said. "I really enjoyed playing the best ball part of the Junior River Cup. Golf is normally an individual sport, but best ball is like a team sport in that you have to rely on your partner."


Most of the golfers who will play at Mt. Hawley this weekend are new or relatively new to match play. What advice will their captain have for them?

"You must have a short memory," Hogan said. "If you have a bad hole, that doesn't mean you're out of a match. Just move on to the next hole and keep grinding. Getting an up and down on a hole can be a backbreaker for your opponent.

"Have fun. Enjoy yourself. You'll be creating memories that will last a lifetime. And don't be nervous. The hard part is over. You've played enough good golf over the last several months to qualify to be selected for the team."

Guenther reiterated Hogan's words of wisdom about having a short memory during a match.

"If a match goes the distance," he said, "it's like you're playing 18 separate matches."


There are two aspects of being involved in the Junior River Cup that put an extra smile on Guenther's face.

"I love calling kids and telling them they made our team," he said. "And most of the golfers on both teams aren't country club kids, but they get an opportunity play great country club courses like Mt. Hawley, Pekin and Peoria."

Pairings for this week's Junior River Cup best ball and individual matches will be determined Friday by Guenther and Hogan, who will alternate making the first choice in a match. 

Typically, the golfers on both teams play a significant role in setting up the matchups. That's been the case again this year.

"I've already had texts from three kids asking to have a certain partner in best ball or telling me who from Team Peoria they'd like to face," Guenther said during a mid-week interview.


Here are the 2024 Team Tazwood and Team Peoria rosters and the high school each player will attend, is attending, or attended. For those golfers who won't be in high school this fall, their junior high school or middle school is listed.  


TEAM TAZWOOD
AGES 16-18
-- Owen Adams (Morton)
-- Jacob Anderson (Morton)
-- Cooper Hansen (Delavan)
-- Jack Leman (Roanoke-Benson)
-- Luke Martin (Eureka)
-- Gavin Schreurs (Washington)
-- Nick Unes (East Peoria)
-- Connor Watson (East Peoria)

AGES 15-UNDER
-- Court Bohanan (Washington)
-- Will Brown (Pekin Broadmoor Junior High School)
-- Paxten Heinold (Washington Middle School)
-- Colin Kemp (Pekin)

TEAM PEORIA
AGES 16-18
-- Brock Brown (Peoria Richwoods)
-- Jack Coulter (Peoria Notre Dame)
-- Chris Drake (Illini Bluffs)
-- Nolan Eccles (Dunlap)
-- Drew Gama (Peoria Christian)
-- Luke Johnson (Midwest Central)
-- Bennett Toews (Homeschool)
-- Tanner Wake (Elmwood)

AGES 15-UNDER
-- Shane Cunningham (Peoria Reservoir Gifted Academy)
-- Crew Fortin (Illini Bluffs)
-- Nick Herget (Dunlap)
-- Jacob Shelby (Dunlap Valley Middle School)