Riley wins at Colonial as tour mourns Murray
Davis Riley shot an even-par 70 to secure his first individual title on the PGA Tour, winning the Charles Schwab Challenge by five strokes Sunday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Riley’s tournament total of 14-under 266 earned him the $1.638 million top prize.
Keegan Bradley turned in a finalround 67 to tie with Scottie Scheffler (71) in second place at 9 under. Scheffler was in second place, four strokes back, when the day began. Collin Morikawa (68) placed fourth at 8 under.
No serious challengers emerged in the final round as Riley, 27, responded with each of his four bogeys with a par. He played the front nine at even-par 35, yet increased his lead to six shots.
Despite Riley’s breakthrough, there also was a somber tone at the tournament just one day after PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray, who was entered in the event and withdrew during the second round, died from suicide. His parents released a statement revealing the cause of death, expressing their devastation and thanking golfers, the PGA Tour and others for the support.
“Super sad day in the golf world,” Riley told the CBS broadcast. “My heart just goes to him and his family. There was definitely a little extra to play for today.”
Golfers and caddies wore red and black ribbons on their caps or shirts Sunday in memory of Murray, who often wore colors of his hometown Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL for Sunday rounds.
Riley’s only previous PGA Tour victory came in the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event with Nick Hardy as his partner.
He was a runner-up when he lost in a playoff two years ago in the Valspar Championship.
This final round mostly lacked drama, with the margin reaching seven strokes after Riley’s birdie on No. 11, one of four birdies on his day.
Bradley was within three shots until a bogey on the final hole, where he had posted par in each of the first three rounds.
So Riley led by four with three holes to complete.
Maverick McNealy (66) was the only player to best Bradley’s final round. McNealy tied for 17th.
Sepp Straka of Austria shot 70 and was the top international finisher, tying for fifth at 5 under with Mac Meissner (68), Pierceson Coody (74) and Hayden Buckley (74).
Defending champion Emiliano Grillo of Argentina (71) ended up 64th at 6 over.
Senior PGA Championship
Englishman Richard Bland eagled the 15th hole on his way to an 8-under-par 63 at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, polishing off a major championship victory in his first senior start on Sunday in Benton Harbor, Mich.
Bland, a 51-year-old playing for LIV Golf, led after each of the first two rounds at Harbor Shores Resort but fell behind Australian Greg Chalmers and South Africa’s Ernie Els after a Saturday 74.
He rocketed up the leaderboard Sunday with eight birdies and a bogey over his first 12 holes.