Davis Riley has his first individual PGA Tour victory. His only other win was a team victory in the 2023 Zurich Classic. Now, thanks to a dominant five-shot victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Riley has a triumph to call his own. Given the way he played in the final group Sunday, opposite world number one, Scottie Scheffler, it is fair to wonder if this will catapult him to new heights in his career.
Did Davis Riley just put the golf world on notice?
Davis Riley Faced Scheffler In The Last Group And Won
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Scottie Scheffler shot the round of the week in round 3 on Saturday. The seven-under par 63 shot Scheffler up the leaderboard and into the final group with Riley, who had played from that position effectively the previous day. Scheffler’s world ranking was enough to stir ample buzz around a thrilling comeback. That and Riley’s recent play has been poor. The complete opposite of Scheffler.
The contrast in their achievements made it seem like a foregone conclusion that Scheffler would hunt Riley down Sunday. After all, the world’s best player may be in the midst of the most impressive stretch of dominance in professional golf since Tiger Woods in the 2000’s. For a guy with one professional victory to stare that kind of dominator down and win in the final group seemed unlikely. Even with a four shot lead.
That was what happened, though. Not only did Riley beat Scheffler in their final group pairing, 70 to 71, but he also held all of the other nearest competitors at bay on his way to victory.
Poised Davis Riley Battles Through Tough Conditions
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Colonial Country Club, the famous Fort Worth institution on the PGA Tour, is known as a tough, old-school golf course. It hadn’t seemed that way in the first three rounds. The course was playing under par each day. Sunday was a different story, though. With gusting winds and hot temperatures, the course was playing very hard and fast. The fairways, let alone the greens, were not holding.
The scoring average on Sunday was two-and-a-quarter strokes over par. Not only were conditions tough, but the course is fresh off a redesign ahead of this year’s Charles Schwab Challenge. The design was geared toward added difficulty already, but the still developing elements of the old course haven’t quite gelled yet. Those new features made for inconsistent conditions and frustrated players. Davis Riley managed to not be one.
Riley’s even par round of 70 was only bested by fourteen of the 71 players competing in the fourth round. And none who beat his score had to stare down Scottie Scheffler in the final group to do so.
Davis Riley Surprises A Shocked Golf World
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Coming into the week, Davis Riley had some of the longest odds of anyone in the entire field to win. BetMGM had his odds at +25000 before the tournament began. That didn’t deter the former University of Alabama golf star from coming out firing. His opening round, four-under 66, was good enough for a share of second place after day one. He followed that up with a 64 to take the lead outright. He would lead the rest of the way.
As if trying to get your first win while facing the world’s best in tough conditions wasn’t hard enough, Davis Riley had to get his win in a very rare, surreal, distracting circumstance. His fellow competitor and tour pro, Grayson Murray, who withdrew from the competition Friday, was pronounced dead Saturday morning. Riley was the leader, awaiting his late tee time that day as the golf world mourned.
The tournament was no longer top of mind. There was talk of canceling it completely. Yet, Murray’s family insisted play continue. And the PGA Tour obliged. For Riley to turn in a splendid four-under par 66 that Saturday, while playing in the final group, under those trying emotional conditions, was a feat of mental fortitude.
About The Author
Colton is a Hollywood screenwriter turned sports columnist. Originally from the suburbs of Detroit, he is a Michigan State University grad who spent fifteen years in Los Angeles after receiving a Bachelor’s in Journalism from MSU. An award-winning filmmaker with multiple projects still in development, Colton is currently co-authoring a biography, “The Boy from the Bronx,” with renowned businessman, Michael Weisser.
Eric is a recent and welcome addition to Total Apex Sports. He’s a highly knowledgeable and respected voice in the sports community, both in Michigan and nationally. Eric Colton resides in New York City with his wife and two daughters.
