Which underdog will win the River Cup Men's competition?

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.