Former Alabama Crimson Tide star Davis Riley continues to shine on the PGA Tour. He brought some special stuff this week at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. Riley finished with an impressive 14-under par for the weekend, winning by five strokes over second place, Keegan Bradley and Scottie Scheffler. Both of those two were tied for second at 9-under.
The 27-year old won his second tournament on the PGA Tour on Sunday. It was just his 90th start on tour.
It’s the first individual stroke play title for Riley on the PGA Tour. His other title came in the 2023 Zurich Classic, when he won with partner Nick Hardy. It was Riley’s third time playing the Charles Schwab Challenge, and his previous best finish was in 2022, when he finished tied for fourth place.
No question about it, it’s a massive moment for Riley’s career. Defeating world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by five strokes is no easy feat. And the former Alabama star made it look easy all weekend long. Riley had a seven-shot lead with 36 holes remaining. And he never really sweated it out at all down the stretch. He was the leader heading into the final day of play with a four-stroke lead over Scheffler.
His odds were 300-1 to win the tournament.
Many might be surprised by the win for the former Alabama star, but tracking his career over the years, the talent has been undeniable. When he was 17 years old, Riley shot a 58.
As a junior golfer, he was runner-up in back-to-back U.S. Juniors in 2013 to Scottie Scheffler and in 2014 to Will Zalatoris. He lost to Scheffler after calling a penalty on himself on the 34th hole.
Riley attributed his recent success to shaking off nagging injuries that he’s dealt with this year. And it’s clear that when he’s healthy, he can absolutely be a force on the PGA Tour. According to Golf.com, Riley will bring home a paycheck of a cool $1.638 million for winning the Charles Schwab Challenge. Before Sunday, he had earned $352,863 on the PGA Tour this year. He ranked 151 in FedEx Cup point rankings before the victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Riley will also bring home 500 FedEx Cup points and a 1975 Schwab Stingray for the win. He drained a 27-foot putt on hole No. 4 on Sunday, ensuring there was no doubt he was ready to bring home the hardware.
Not only that, winning a golf tournament is a life-changing experience for every player on tour, especially in the early stages of their career. With the win, Riley will punch his ticket to Augusta National in 2025 and many other major events.
The final round was paused for a brief moment of silence to remember Grayson Murray, the 30-year-old PGA golfer who was found dead Saturday after withdrawing from the tournament on the 16th hole on Thursday. Following the win, Riley spoke with Amanda Balionis of CBS Sports and shared his well wishes for the Murray family.
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