He completed it all by himself this time.
Two-time champion Davis Riley captured his first-ever individual victory on the PGA TOUR on Sunday at Colonial Country Club, where he defeated world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to win the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Riley, who shared the championship with Nick Hardy in the two-man Zurich Classic of New Orleans last season, overcame difficult circumstances on Sunday to shoot an even-par 70 and won by five strokes over Scheffler and Keegan Bradley.
After shooting 2-over in the opening round of the week, Scheffler ended himself in the last pairing on Sunday, four strokes behind Riley. Riley started the day with the odds of winning the event at even money (+100), while Scheffler had a somewhat higher price of +110.
At the par-4 fourth hole, Scheffler took a bogey and Riley produced a two-shot swing, rolling in a 25-foot putt for birdie. Riley was now -200 to win, and Scheffler had dropped to +225. The deficit had now increased to five strokes.
At No. 5, Scheffler saw further difficulties upon teeing off, needing to chip out of the trees and back into the fairway, which resulted in his second consecutive bogey. Riley missed a shot as well, meaning that there were still five shots separating the two players.
Riley was now -5000 to win, and this golf competition was all but done with eight holes remaining with the two players at the top swapping pars.
This week, did anybody have a winning ticket on Riley? Thomas Gable, director of Race and Sports at The Borgata in New Jersey, responded, “Not a one,” when I inquired if he had accepted any wagers on Riley before the event.
Renowned Las Vegas golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman stated they only took one extremely tiny wager on the winner. Hall of Fame bookmaker Nick Bogdanovich related a similar tale: “A couple of small ones is all,” the native of Las Vegas said.
Tristan Davis, senior manager of Mandalay Bay Race and Sportsbook, answered, “Nothing.We think he’s a good winner.”
Senior manager of Mandalay Bay Race and Sportsbook Tristan Davis said, “Nothing. We believe he is a worthy winner.”
Scheffler struggled on Sunday after shooting the lowest round of the competition on Saturday (7-under 63). He hit just seven of the fourteen fairways in the final round, ranking 39th out of 71 players in Driving Accuracy. With just nine of eighteen greens made, he finished 35th in regulation for greens.
This season, Scheffler has made 12 starts and finished in the top 10. He has now been in the top three in the Charles Schwab Challenge for three consecutive years.
Collin Morikawa, who finished second in this tournament in 2020, was the only participant this week to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. He came in fourth.
Following the PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge, the PGA TOUR is having a very early summer run. Next week, the TOUR will return to Hamilton Golf & Country Club for the RBC Canadian Open. Next up comes the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, a Signature Event at Muirfield Village, followed by the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, the third major of the year.
At the RBC Canadian Open, Canadian Nick Taylor is the reigning champion. He defeated Tommy Fleetwood in a thrilling victory last year when he sank a 72-foot putt for eagle on the fourth playoff hole. The previous time the 2019 RBC Canadian Open was held in Hamilton, Ontario, Rory McIlroy emerged victorious.
