WiretoWire: Davis Riley rolls on through Colonial

Eleven years ago, Davis Riley fell to Scottie Scheffler in the final match at the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur. This time Riley got the last laugh. Riley, 27, stared down Scheffler in Sunday’s final pairing at the Charles Schwab Challenge, cruising to a five-stroke victory at recently restored Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Riley closed in even-par 70 for a 14-under total, five strokes clear of Scheffler and Keegan Bradley. The win marks Riley’s first individual PGA TOUR title; he won last year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Nick Hardy, but the University of Alabama alum had struggled to this point in 2024, entering the week at No. 151 on the season-long FedExCup standings. A reunion with former swing coach Jeff Smith helped turn the tide, though, and included a multi-hour practice session on the back of the TPC Sawgrass range after a missed cut at THE PLAYERS Championship in March. Riley showed signs of improvement afterward with four made cuts in five starts leading into the Charles Schwab Challenge. It all came together at Colonial: He began Sunday with a four-stroke lead, extended it to seven at one point and cruised home for the victory. Now he’s fully exempt on TOUR through 2026, exempt into this year’s remaining Signature Events (the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and Travelers Championship), jumps to No. 55 on the FedExCup and a Playoffs berth suddenly in the realm.

Two-time PGA TOUR winner Grayson Murray dies at 30

Two-time PGA TOUR winner Grayson Murray died Saturday at age 30. Murray was open throughout his career regarding his struggles with anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse, and he gained respect across the golf community for his vulnerability. Players at the Charles Schwab Challenge wore black and red ribbons Sunday in Murray’s memory, and the Korn Ferry Tour held a three-minute moment of remembrance Sunday at the Visit Knoxville Open. Murray was a three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner. “We would like to thank the PGA TOUR and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support,” said Murray’s parents, Eric and Terry Murray, in a statement. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said it was hard to play golf after the news, but he knew that Murray's family wished for competition to proceed. "Obviously it was a pretty difficult day to come out to the golf course with news of Grayson yesterday and, you know, spent that moment of silence today really just thinking about him and praying for his family,” Scheffler said.

Golf in the Great White North

The PGA TOUR heads north of the border for the RBC Canadian Open. Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario, will play host for the seventh time overall and the first since 2019. Rory McIlroy won the 2019 edition contested at Hamilton by seven strokes and set the tournament aggregate-score record with a four-day total of 258 at the par-70 course. Following two years of the tournament’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McIlroy defended his 2019 title in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club and is in the field for the fourth consecutive time looking for his third RBC Canadian Open title. Canadian Nick Taylor ended the 69-year drought of no Canadian winners of the event with his victory last year highlighted by his 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole. Taylor will tee it up looking to defend his title. Tommy Fleetwood, whom Taylor beat in 2023, is in the field for the third time. In total, 25 Canadians are in the field, all of whom are efforting to keep the title in the hands of Canada. PGA TOUR Americas members and fellow Canadians Matthew Anderson and Stuart Macdonald earned exemptions into the field this week and both rank inside the top five of the Fortinet Cup on PGA TOUR Americas. Shane Lowry is in the field for the sixth straight year with three top-12 finishes on his resume highlighted by a T2 in 2019. The winner of the RBC Canadian Open receives 500 FedExCup points and a share of the $9.4 million purse.

Video of the week

Mic check

"And, it’s so funny, we get so worked up out here about a bad break here or a good break there. We’re so competitive, so competitive out here. We all want to beat each other. And then something like this happens, and you realize, we’re all just humans." – Peter Malnati on the loss of Grayson Murray

By the numbers

15 – There have been 15 instances of a player winning back-to-back Korn Ferry Tour events, with Harry Higgs being the latest. Higgs is the first to win both in a playoff.

5 – Players who finish Nos. 2-5 in the PGA TOUR University rankings after the NCAA Championship will earn exempt membership on Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the 2024 season. The top player will earn a PGA TOUR card.

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.