On Monday, March 23 – Tuesday, March 24, Scottsdale-based Bell Bank will be hosting the Second Annual Pay It Forward Collegiate Golf Tourney at the Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park. The winning team will receive $5,000 to donate to their chosen charitable cause and the individual men’s and women’s tournament champions will receive $1,000 to donate to an organization or individual in their community.

Co-hosted by the University of Minnesota and University of St. Thomas, the event has been expanded this year to include a women’s tournament that will run parallel to the men’s.

“All of us at Bell Bank are proud to sponsor and host this incredibly fun and competitive tournament on one of the best golf courses in the state, and we are happy to once again partner with top college teams from around the country to Pay It Forward,” said Gerald Deetz, Bell Bank’s senior vice president/market development director in Phoenix. “It’s totally unique for a college golf tournament that we’re spreading the impact of paying it forward to the next generation. We can’t wait to hear how our champion teams and golfers decide to help others.”

The timing for the addition of the women’s tournament is ideal; March is Women’s History Month, which celebrates pioneering women and encourages women and girls to break barriers.

“Having the opportunity to grow the Bell Bank Pay It Forward Collegiate and expand it to include a women’s tournament is so exciting, especially after the success the men’s event experienced last year,” said Matt Higgins, University of Minnesota’s women’s golf coach. “To our knowledge, it’s the only college golf tournament that offers this kind of opportunity to make an impact beyond the course.”

The following men’s and women’s teams are scheduled to compete in the Pay It Forward Collegiate:

Men’s teams

Women’s teams

Some of the notable men’s players include Chun-Ta Woo from the University of Minnesota, who recently won his first tournament, Zach May from Iowa State, who won last year’s Pay It Forward Collegiate Tournament, and Iowa State teammate Paul Beauvy.

On the women’s side, University of Minnesota’s Mariana Mesones is ranked No. 118 in the country and has five Top 10 finishes this year. Middle Tennessee State sophomore Isabella Johnson is ranked No. 139 and has a pair of Top 3 finishes this season.

“Our goal is to build this into one of the premier tournaments in college golf. When you combine the Pay It Forward mission with the many activities and experiences the teams will take part in throughout the tournament, it is already well on its way to becoming a special event,” Higgins said. “We are incredibly grateful to Bell Bank for their partnership and support, and we are thrilled to host what promises to be a wonderful women’s collegiate golf tournament.”

The men’s tournament is scheduled for the prestigious Wigwam Gold Course. The women will complete on the Blue Course to allow the event to run simultaneously.

For more than 50 years, the Gold Course has been recognized as one of Arizona’s most challenging and respected golf courses. Nicknamed Arizona’s Monster, the Gold Course has hosted many signature tournaments over the years, including numerous U.S. Open Qualifiers, U.S. Amateur Qualifiers, several NCAA Regional Championships, and the annual Patriot All-America Invitational — one of the top amateur competitions in the world.

Named one of the top 100 golf courses in America, the 7,345-yard, par-72 Gold Course has received various industry awards and accolades since opening in 1965.

Wigwam’s Blue Course also is a celebrated, historically rich 18-hole championship layout, often recognized for its challenging yet sporty design. It won Golf Magazine’s Silver Medal Award as one of the country’s top resort courses.

For more information visit: https://bell.bank/partners/pifcollegiate and https://gophersports.com/sports/2025/11/12/bell-bank-collegiate

For more information about Bell Bank or Bell’s commitment to charitable endeavors please visit www.bellbank.com.

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