Huskers Head to Arizona for Bell Bank Pay It Forward

The Nebraska men’s golf team continues its spring season by traveling to Arizona for the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate in Litchfield Park, Ariz., March 23-24.

The two-day, 54-hole event gets underway with a shotgun start at 10:30 a.m. (CT) for two rounds on a par-72, 7,345-yard layout of the Wigwam Resort on Monday, March 23. The tournament will conclude with the final round on Tuesday, March 24, beginning with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. (CT).

Nebraska will be part of a strong 17-team field that includes Arkansas State, Bethel University (Minn.), Denver, Drake, Iowa State, Kansas City, Marquette, Maryland, the hosts from Minnesota, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, St. Thomas (Minn.), Utah State, UTSA, Wisconsin.

Junior Rudy Sautron has been dominant for the Huskers early this spring, capturing back-to-back tournament titles at the Hal Williams Collegiate and The Johnnie-O at Sea Island in record-breaking fashion. Sautron fired a school-record 18-under-par 198 to share the championship at The Johnnie-O (March 9-10). It followed a school-record 195 (-15) at the Hal Williams Collegiate (Feb. 16-17). His effort in Semmes, Ala., included a school-record 62 (-8).

Sautron has tied the school record for titles in a single season, matching Jamie Rogers (1997-98) with three this year, including a then-school-record 200 (-13) at the Git-R-Done Invitational (Sept. 22-23). His win in Georgia vaulted him 50 spots in the national rankings up to No. 69. He opened the spring at No. 206, before jumping 87 spots to No. 119 with his win in Alabama. He heads to Arizona at No. 78 in the national standings.

Sautron also captured his third Big Ten Golfer-of-the-Week award of the season (March 12). 

He is coming off a tie for 11th to lead Nebraska at the All-American Intercollegiate in Humble, Texas (March 16-17). Sautron will play out of the No. 1 spot in the Husker lineup in Arizona.

Freshman Caden Mickelson and sophomore Jackson Benge have been reliable scorers for the Big Red throughout the year. Mickelson owns Nebraska’s No. 2 stroke average over 25 rounds, while Benge has played all 26 rounds this season alongside Sautron.

Redshirt junior Evan McDermott and sophomore Brodie Cunningham round out Nebraska's lineup at the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward", while Quinn Yost will also compete as an individual outside the Husker lineup.

Live updates and scoring for the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate can be found at HuskersGolf on Instagram and X, and Scoreboard.clippd.com. Complete coverage can be found at Huskers.com. 

Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate
Litchfield Park, Arizona (Host: Minnesota)
Wigwam Resort (Par 72, 7,345 Yards)

Schedule
Monday, March 23 (Rounds 1 & 2) - 10:30 a.m. CT (shotgun)
Tuesday, March 24 (Round 3) - 10 a.m. CT (shotgun)

Live Scoring: Scoreboard.clippd.com

Participating Teams (17)
Arkansas State, Bethel University (Minn.), Denver, Drake, Iowa State, Kansas City, Marquette, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, St. Thomas (Minn.), Utah State, UTSA, Wisconsin.

Nebraska Lineup (5-count-4)
1. Rudy Sautron, Jr., Reunion Island, France
2. Caden Mickelson, Fr., Kansas City, Missouri 
3. Jackson Benge, So., Omaha, Nebraska
4. Brodie Cunningham, So., Glasgow, Scotland
5. Evan McDermott, RJr., Spring Lake, Michigan
IND - Quinn Yost, Sr., Farmington, New Mexico

Sautron Owns Top Spot in Pathway to Progression
Nebraska’s Rudy Sautron earned the top spot in the PGA Tour Underclass Elite Ranking (Feb. 11). The Pathway to Progression Underclass Elite Ranking is a new enhancement within the PGA Tour Development program designed to evaluate and recognize the top emerging collegiate golfers, highlighting a diverse group of elite underclass athletes - predominantly African American players - from across the country. It supports players who are in their freshman, sophomore and junior years.

Sautron has maintained the top spot since the initial ranking was released in November. Argyle Downes (Rutgers), Sascha Robinson (Florida A&M), Roman Solomon (USF) and Jayden Lizama (Gonzaga) round out the top five.

The top player in the final ranking receives an exemption into The Monroe Invitational, an elite summer amateur event in Pittsford, N.Y. The top 15 players earn invitations to participate in the Pathway to Progression Underclass Elite Showcase at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois (July 13-16).

Huskers Hope to Break Through with 2026 NCAA Bid
Nebraska believes its 10-man roster has the ingredients to break through with its first team NCAA Regional berth since 2007.

Nebraska, which has made significant jumps in the final national rankings in each of Coach Judd Cornell’s three seasons, including a No. 83 ranking to end 2024-25, has a balanced roster with experienced seniors and talented juniors and sophomores leading the way.

Juniors Rudy Sautron and Evan McDermott have experience playing in the heart of Nebraska’s lineup. Both were leaders for the Big Red as sophomores in 2024-25, and both are focused on continuing NU’s drive for postseason play.

Brodie Cunningham leads a talented sophomore class that includes Jackson Benge and James Ackerman. Cunningham set Nebraska’s freshman stroke average record a year ago, while Benge got a strong taste of collegiate action.

Freshmen Caden Mickelson and Thomas Bryson hope to make impacts on the Husker lineup in their first season. Both players were individual high school state champions and four-time all-state selections during their prep careers. Mickelson was NU’s top finisher (T12th) with a school freshman-record 207 (-9) at the Island Resort Invitational (Aug. 31-Sept. 1). He shattered that freshman mark just three weeks later by taking third at the Git-R-Done Invitational (Sept. 22-23) with a 54-hole total of 201 (-12).

2025-26 Season Bests
Team Total: 823 (-29), Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23 - school record
Team to Par: -29 (823), Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23 - school record
Team Finish: 1st, Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23, 2025

Individual Finish: T1st
Rudy Sautron, Git-R-Done, Sept. 22-23
Rudy Sautron, Hal Williams, Feb. 16-17
Rudy Sautron, The Johnnie-O, March 9-10

Individual Total: 195 (-15) - school record
Rudy Sautron, Hal Williams, Feb. 16-17

Individual to Par: -18 (198) - school record
Rudy Sautron, The Johnnie-O, March 9-10

Individual Round: 62 (-8) - school record
Rudy Sautron, 62, Hal Williams, 1st, Feb. 16

Individual Round to Par: -8 (62) / -8 (64)
Rudy Sautron, 62, Hal Williams, 1st, Feb. 16
Rudy Sautron, 64, The Johnnie-O, 1st, March 9

Eagles (19):
Brodie Cunningham, No. 18 (Par 5), 3rd, Island Resort, Sept. 1
Jackson Benge, No. 9 (Par 5), 1st, Gopher, Sept. 7
Bryson Oots, No. 14 (Par 4), 1st, Bluejay, Sept. 15
James Ackerman, No. 12 (Par 5), 2nd, Bluejay, Sept. 15
Thomas Bryson, No. 16 (Par 5), 2nd, Bluejay, Sept. 15
Evan McDermott, No. 12 (Par 5), 3rd, Bluejay, Sept. 16
Brodie Cunningham, No. 8 (Par 5), 2nd, Git-R-Done, Sept. 22
Brodie Cunningham, No. 16 (Par 5), 1st, Purdue, Oct. 13
Rudy Sautron, No. 4 (Par 5), 1st, Steelwood, Oct. 25
Rudy Sautron, No. 5 (Par 4), 1st, Steelwood, Oct. 25
Evan McDermott, No. 18 (Par 5), 1st, Steelwood, Oct. 25
Caden Mickelson, No. 6 (Par 5), 2nd, Hal Williams, Feb. 16
Rudy Sautron, No. 18 (Par 5), 2nd, The Johnnie-O, March 9
Rudy Sautron, No. 10 (Par 4), 3rd, The Johnnie-O, March 10
Evan McDermott, No. 14 (Par 5), 3rd, The Johnnie-O, March 10
Rudy Sautron, No. 4 (Par 5), 3rd, The Johnnie-O, March 10