Hattiesburg native and Presbyterian Christian alum Davis Riley took home his first-ever PGA tour victory at the Zurich Classic.
Riley and his partner Nick Hardy will take home $1.24 million and earn a 2-year exemption for winning the PGA Tour’s only team event.
“It’s awesome,” Davis said. “Honestly, I’m kind of speechless. I’m super excited to get a little taste of it last year, having a couple of chances to win. To do it here, close to home, with friends and family, is amazing.
“Doing it close to home is super special. It felt like a home turf game. I felt like the crowd was definitely on and me Nick’s side. I was super excited that we were able to give them something to make a little noise about. It was special, and hopefully, it’s the first of many for me and him.”
Riley and Hardy began the final round tied for third place, three shots off the lead, and shot 65. The duo finished two shots ahead of Canadians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, three shots ahead of third-round leaders Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler, and four shots ahead of defending champions Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay, and Matthew NeSmith/Taylor Moore.
“Me and Nick have been playing really solid golf all week,” said Riley when asked if he ever felt out of contention. “I knew somebody was going to make a run. I knew we had to make some birdies coming in, but I always felt like we were right in the thick of it. When we made birdies on 13 and 14, I knew that we could control our own destiny.”
Riley and Davis birdied on four of their final six holes, which was highlighted by Riley’s 33-foot birdie putt from the par-3 17th. The pair clinched the title with a tournament total of 30 under par—a new record for the team-format event—with rounds of 64 and 63 in four-ball and scores of 66 and 65 in foursomes.
Riley’s previous best finish was a playoff loss in the 2022 Valspar Championship.
“Coming off a good rookie season last year and having four or five legitimate chances to win and not being able to capitalize definitely left a sour taste in my mouth, but I knew I was doing the right thing, so I just tried to continue to chip away and keep getting better and better,” Davis said. “I feel like it was a matter of time that my time was coming to do it with one of my best friends here, who is also an amazing player, I feel like the sky is the limit for the both of us, and hopefully we can continue to play some good golf.”
