WINNERS CIRCLE RIVER OAKS G.C.
THE RIVER RUN — EVENT RECAP
River Oaks Golf Course | May 9, 2026
The Minneapolis–St. Paul Golfweek Amateur Tour made its way to River Oaks Golf Course for the 2026 River Run Tournament, where players faced a challenging par 71 layout that tested every part of the game. With demanding approach shots, strategically placed hazards, and fast greens, River Oaks once again proved why it remains a great tournament venue.
In the Championship Flight, Matthew Foehse delivered the round of the tournament, carding an 1 over par 72 to secure the victory by 14 shots. Foehse stayed in control throughout the day. A steady performance highlighted by a birdie helped separate him from the field. Dom Rosati finished runner-up after posting an 86.
The A Flight produced one of the tightest battles of the event. Joshua VanCampen and Richard Lesslie both posted impressive rounds of 80 (+9), but VanCampen earned the victory after the tiebreaker was applied. Lesslie recorded a birdie during his round, while Nick Hammer and Jerry Carlson shared third place at 85. Larry Caldwell rounded out the top five with an 89.
B Flight featured another deep and competitive leaderboard with Geoffrey Zahn claiming the championship after firing an 81 (+10). Zahn paired consistent play with a birdie and also led the division in earnings. Dave Sewell finished second at 83 while Chris Elbert secured third with an 84. Matt Meyers added a birdie on his way to a fourth-place finish at 85. One of the standout performances of the day came from Matt Hopkins, who carded three birdies — the most by any player in the entire field.
The C Flight came down to the final holes with Dean Chester capturing the title after posting an 87 (+16). Just one shot back, Victor Lucio, Brad Dohmen, and Steve Ellenson all tied for second at 88. Dohmen added a birdie during his round, while Austin Ludeman finished fifth with a 90. Nick Rykal and Xavier Riggle also found the scorecard with birdies later in the standings.
In D Flight, Ted Chapman earned the victory after shooting an 87 (+16), winning the division by ten shots. John Krieger finished second with a 97, followed closely by Dennis Dreelin at 98. Spencer White highlighted the division with a birdie during his fourth-place finish.
The River Run Tournament once again showcased what makes the Golfweek Amateur Tour unique — real tournament golf, flighted competition based on skill level, and pressure-packed moments throughout the day. From even-par golf in Championship Flight to tightly contested finishes across the remaining divisions, players battled River Oaks and each other in another memorable stop on the Minneapolis–St. Paul schedule.
Full results, points standings, winner graphics, feature hole coverage, and tournament media can be found on the Minneapolis–St. Paul Golfweek Amateur Tour pages.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
2025 RIVER RUN
CHAMPIONS
It was a chilli May day for the River Run Tournament, the sun did come out to make it a quality day for golf.
The Course was in great condition. Freshly cut and rolled greens were giving most of the players a rough time, not to mention the
Sunday pin placements were down right Nasty. It was three putt City population MN Golfweek !
Thank you to all the players who turned up to compete.
A huge thank you to the staff at River Oaks Golf Course
who were great to work with and helped us have a great event at their facilty!
IN THE CHAMP FLIGHT IT WAS ONLY 1 SHOT THAT SEPERATED THE 1ST FROM 2ND PLACE, PETER HELLER MAKING AN EPIC
CHIP SHOT ON 17 FROM A HORRIBLE LIE IN A SHORTSIDED POSITION WITH NO GREEN TO WORK WITH TO SAVE PAR AND
REMAIN TIED FOR THE LEAD HEADING TO 18. AGAIN ON 18 PETER WAS SEEMINGLY BLOCKED OUT IN THE TREES RIGHT OF
18 GREEN AND WAS ABLE TO HIT A TOWERING WEDGE OVER THE TREES THAT HIT THE FLAG AND FINISHED JUST ON THE
FRINGE WERE HE WAS ABLE TO TWO PUT FOR PAR. IT WASNT OVER JUST YET A TRULY SWAGGER FILLED PLAYER WAS
WORKING HIS WAY TO THE GREEN ON 18 AND HAD A 3 FOOTER FOR PAR TO SEND IT TO EXTRA HOLES...
ALAS IT WAS NOT MENT TO BE AS MATT FOEHSE LIPPED OUT HIS 3 FOOTER TO MAKE BOGEY.
PETER HELLER WITH A CLUTCH TWO FINISHING HOLES SECURES THE BAG AND THE VICTORY AT RIVER OAKS!
THE A FLIGHT WAS THE TIGHTEST RACE OF ALL THE FLIGHTS THIS SUNDAY. 1 SHOT SEPERATING THE TOP 4 PLAYERS IN
THE FIELD. AFTER 18 HOLES 2 WERE TIED FOR THE LEAD AT 82, LARRY CALDWELL AND FELIX SCOTT WERE HEADED TO
PLAY OFF. ESCORTED BY THE MARSHAL THEY HEADED OUT TO FIND AN OPEN HOLE TO DUEL LATE ON SUNDAY
AFTERNOON. AFTER 5 HOLES THEY STILL WERE NOT ABLE TO SEPERATE THEMSELVES. BUT ON THE 6TH AND FINAL
PLAYOFF HOLE FELIX SCOTT EMERGED VICTORIUOS TO CLAIM THE TROPHY IN THIS INAUGURAL RIVER RUN
TOURNAMENT. CONGRATULATIONS FELIX ROCK ON!
B FLIGHT HAD A STACKED LEADER BOARD AS WELL WITH ONLY 1 SHOT BETWEEN WINING AND LOSING.
NO STRANGER TO THE WINNER CIRCLE DAVE ROJO BACK ON TOP AND IS LOOKING TO BECOME THE B FLIGHT POINTS
RACE CHAMPION FOR 2025 COLLECTING ANOTHER 450 POINTS WITH THIS WIN TO PUT HIM JUST 90 POINTS BEHIND LAST
SEASONS CHAMPION GEOFFREY ZHAN, WHO CAME IN 2ND JUST ONE SHOT BEHIND OUR WINNER DAVE ROJO.
CONGRATULATIONS DAVE!
C FLIGHT WAS ANOTHER CLOSE RACE! ONLY ONE SHOT BETWEEN TWO COMPETITORS THAT MAY BECOME RIVALS AS
THEY SEEM TO MEET AT THE TOP OF THE LEADER BOARD OFTEN. CLASHING AGAIN THIS SUNDAY WAS DEAN CHESTER
AND AUSTIN LUDEMAN. IN THE END IT WAS DEAN CHESTER FIRING AN 88 TO TAKE HOME THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND TAKE
OVER THE TOP SPOT IN THE 2025 POINTS RACE OVER LUDEMAN BY JUST 40 POINTS IN THE
POINTS RACE. CONGRATULATIONS DEAN!
D FLIGHT WAS A RUNAWAY VICTORY BY RELATIVE NEWCOMER EDWARD CHAPMAN! IN ONLY HIS SECOND EVENT EDWARD
WAS ABLE TO OVERCOME THE NERVES AND TAKE THE LEAD AND NEVER LOOK BACK. CARDING A 94 GIVING HIM A 10 SHOT
VICTORY OVER THE NEXT CLOSEST PLAYER IN THE FIELD, CLAIMING THE TOURNAMENT VICTORY AND ALSO JUMPING TO
THE TOP OF THE POINTS RACE NOW HOLDING A 30 POINT ADVANTAGE IN THE CLOSEST POINTS RACE WE HAVE ON TOUR
IN MN. COMGRATULATIONS EDWARD!
