Murray, Cunningham, Huskers Take Third in Arizona

Hamish Murray and Brodie Cunningham tied for third individually to power Nebraska to third place in a 16-team field with a season-best tournament total of 849 (-15) at the Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate in Litchfield Park, Ariz., on Tuesday.

Murray, a senior from Sydney, Australia, scorched the 7,021-yard, par-72 Gold Course at the Wigwam Resort for a 66 (-6) in Tuesday's final round to surge up the leader board into the top five. His final round included seven birdies, one bogey and 10 pars. Murray's season-best tie for third matched his season best 209 tournament total, which came on a par-71 course. His final-round 66 matched his season best, after he opened with rounds of 71 and 72 on Monday.

Cunningham, a freshman from Glasgow, Scotland, matched Murray stroke for stroke in the tournament with a career-best 209 (-7) with three strong rounds including a collegiate career-best 69 (-3) on Tuesday. Cunningham's final round included an eagle on the par-5, 535-yard 14th hole for the second consecutive round. He opened the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 70 (-2) on Monday. It was Cunningham's first career top-10 finish.

Rudy Sautron just missed his fifth top-10 finish of the season, adding a tie for 12th at 212 (-4). The sophomore got hot in Monday's second round with a 67 (-5) after opening with a 73. He closed with a steady round of 72 on Tuesday that included one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars for his fifth top-20 finish of the season.

Reed Malleck tied for 39th at 220 (+1), including a final-round 75, while Evan McDermott completed Nebraska's five-player lineup in a tie for 49th at 222 (+6) in the 88-player field. McDermott matched Malleck with a final-round 75 (+3).

Quinn Yost competed as an individual outside the Husker lineup and tied for 70th after settling for a 77 (+5) in the third round. Yost opened the tournament with rounds of 80 (+8) and 71 (-1) on Monday.

As a team, Nebraska put together its best tournament of the season with a three-round total of 849 (-15), including rounds of 286 (-2), 281 (-7) and 282 (-6). The Huskers were 17 strokes better to par than their previous season-best tournament total of 866 (+2). The Big Red also totaled an 859 (+7) on a par-71 layout at Firethorn during the Git-R-Done Invitational early in the fall campaign. 

Iowa State claimed the team title behind a final-round 268 (-20) to finish at 837 (-27). Marquette took second at 839 (-25). 

Eastern Michigan finished a distant fourth at 864 (E), 15 strokes behind the third-place Huskers, while Denver and St. Thomas (Minn.) tied for fifth at 869 (+5).

Iowa State's Zachary May took home medalist honors with a 54-hole score of 206 (-10), including a final-round 66 (-6). Marquette's Max Lyons finished second at 208 (-8) just one shot in front of Murray, Cunningham and Iowa State's Paul Beauvy in a three-way tie for third at 209 (-7).

Nebraska will enjoy a week off from competition before returning to action at the Tiger Intercollegiate in Columbia, Mo. (April 7-8).

Bell Bank "Pay It Forward" Collegiate
March 24-25, 2025
Litchfield Park, Arizona
Wigwam Resort - Gold Course (Par 72, 7,021 Yards)

Final Team Results
1. Iowa State - 291-278-268=837 (-27)
2. Marquette - 272-281-286=839 (-25)
3. Nebraska - 286-281-282=849 (-15)
4. Eastern Michigan - 285-295-284=864 (E)
T5. St. Thomas (Minn.) - 293-283-293=869 (+5)
T5. Denver - 286-283-300=869 (+5)
T7. Drake - 285-289-296=870 (+6)
T7. South Dakota - 287-289-294=870 (+6)
9. Loyola-Chicago - 294-289-289=872 (+8)
10. Omaha - 289-299-285=873 (+9)
T11. Creighton - 290-290-294=874 (+10)
T11. UC Santa Barbara - 286-297-291=874 (+10)
13. Minnesota - 293-297-287=877 (+13)
14. South Dakota State - 301-302-294=897 (+33)
15. North Dakota - 300-294-308=902 (+38)
16. Bethel (Minn.) - 311-302-304=917 (+53)

Final Individual Results
1. Zachary May, Iowa State - 72-68-66=206 (-10)
2. Max Lyons, Marquette - 70-68-70=208 (-8)
T3. Brodie Cunningham, Nebraska - 70-70-69=209 (-7)
T3. Hamish Murray, Nebraska - 71-72-66=209 (-7)
T3. Paul Beauvy, Iowa State - 74-68-67=209 (-7)
6. Jake Weissenburger, Drake - 70-69-71=210 (-6)
T7. Jack Dozer, Denver - 69-68-74=211 (-5)
T7. Johan Widal, Marquette - 66-71-74=211 (-5)
T7. Owen Sawyer, Iowa State - 72-70-67=211 (-5)
T7. Ryan Banas, Marquette - 65-72-74=211 (-5)
T7. Owen Price, Creighton - 68-69-74=211 (-5)

Nebraska Individuals
T3. Hamish Murray - 71-72-66=209 (-7)
T3. Brodie Cunningham - 70-70-69=209 (-7)
T12. Rudy Sautron - 73-67-72=212 (-4)
T39. Reed Malleck - 73-72-75=220 (+4)
T49. Evan McDermott - 72-75-75=222 (+6)
*T70. Quinn Yost - 80-71-77=228 (+12)