Davis Riley shook off some early struggles to card an even par 70 and claim his second PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge, where honouring late colleague Grayson Murray gave him “a little extra to play for.”
Riley, who started the day with a four-shot lead over world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, had three bogeys and three birdies to finish with a 14-under-par total of 266 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
He finished five strokes in front of Scheffler and Keegan Bradley on a day when Murray was in the thoughts of all the golfers on the course a day after his death at the age of 30.
Murray’s parents confirmed the two-time PGA Tour winner, who withdrew from the tournament late in Friday’s second round, had taken his own life.
“Obviously super-sad day in the golf world,” Riley said. “My heart just goes to him and his family and there was definitely a little extra to play for today.”
Riley said he’d expected a tough day playing alongside Scheffler, whose second Masters title in April was part of a run of four titles in five starts.
After a bogey at the second he rolled in a 27-foot birdie at the 4th, but promptly bogeyed the 5th.
But on a day when low scores were hard to come by, a birdie at the 9th saw him take a six-shot lead into the back nine, where he followed a bogey at 15 with a bogey at 17 on the way to adding another title to the one he claimed alongside Nick Hardy last year in the Zurich Classic two-man team event.
“I knew coming into the into today it was going to be tough – a very tough golf course and when you’ve got the world No 1 breathing down your neck, you know it’s going to be difficult until the last hole.
“So proud of the way I just stayed in it, fought some adversity early, just kind of hung in there and I played some really good golf coming down the stretch.”
Scheffler had three bogeys before a pair of back-nine birdies saw him post a one-under 71 for nine-under 271.
Bradley had five birdies in his three-under par 67, and had reached 10 under with a birdie at the 17th before he gave back a shot at the final hole.
“My best round of the year probably,” said Bradley, whose six tour titles include the 2011 PGA Championship.
He, too, played with a heavy heart, saying he was “heartbroken” to learn of Murray’s death.
“I was thinking about him all day today,” Bradley said. “I had this pin on my hat. We’re such a family here and to walk into the locker room this morning and know he was in there two days earlier …”
Murray’s parents, Eric and Terry Murray, had asked golfers to wear ribbon pins in black and red to honour Murray, who wore the colours of his hometown NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes, when competing on Sundays.
South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout shared 17th position on two-under 278 after carding 68.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Tim Heitman/Getty Images
