Davis Riley Falls Short in Valspar Playoff But Finds Much to Build On

The rookie finished second to Sam Burns but set himself up well for the rest of the season, and earned bragging rights over a fellow University of Alabama player.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. – The large gallery around the 18th green grew silent, and all that was left was for Davis Riley to hit his putt and watch it inch toward the hole, the result ending the tournament in hysteria or extending the day a bit longer.

Riley, 25, a former University of Alabama golfer in his rookie year on the PGA Tour, had a first victory in his sights. And with the ball halfway to the hole, he might have been tempted to think about celebrations and Masters invites and all manner of life-altering occurrences.

But the ball slid off to the right, the tournament forged on, and on the second sudden-death playoff hole on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook, Sam Burns buried a 33-footer to defend his title, capture a third PGA Tour victory and move into the top 10 in the world for the first time.

And Riley had little reason to feel bad about any of it.

“A lot to build on,’’ Riley said in the aftermath of his near-miss. “No, I can’t hang my head about anything. I played a lot of good golf and unfortunately I didn’t have my best stuff today and I stumbled on hole 5 and that kind of cost me.

“But at the end of the day it’s a great week to build on and I’m looking forward to the next start.’’

Riley’s 62 on Saturday playing alongside Justin Thomas was impressive enough.

But the way he bounced back from the par-5 fifth hole on Sunday might have even been better. After a drive into the right rough, followed by a shot across the adjoining sixth fairway, a chunked third shot, an unplayable lie, another poor approach ... it added up to a triple-bogey 8.

It is difficult to win any tournament making a triple bogey. It is especially tough on the final day when you have less time to make up for the costly mistakes.

But Riley followed with three birdies, including one on the 17th hole that brought him into a tie with Burns, leading to his flirtation with victory on the 18th. His 1-over-par 72 matched the highest score of any player who finished among the top 20, but it was impressive in its own right with the type of golf he played over an exacting stretch on the back nine.

“I knew I could do this,’’ Riley said. “I knew I could win golf tournaments at the highest level. Just how I handled adversity and knowing that I don’t have my best stuff to have a chance to win a golf tournament, that proved a lot to me.

“A little bit into (Saturday), late, I was hitting some off shots and today on the front nine I wasn’t hitting it great, kind of spotty on some holes. But just know that I don’t have to be perfect to win a golf tournament was one of the biggest things I’m taking away from this week.’’

Riley and Burns go back to their early teens when they competed against each other in American Junior Golf Association events, with Burns heading to LSU and Riley to Alabama.

That is where he met Thomas, an upperclassman when Riley took his recruiting visit. They remained friends after that and Thomas, 28, has kind of looked after him since that time.

“He was always who I was closest with on the team after I had left in terms of going back and I just always got along with him,’’ Thomas said Saturday after they played together. “I always respected his work ethic. I mean, we're very, very similar in terms that we'll work really hard and we expect a lot out of ourselves and have high expectations.

“So I took a liking to that and obviously what's not to like about his golf swing and his golf game? So I just felt like I told him very early on, if you ever need anything or want some help, just let me know. Like, I'm more than happy to because I think the world of him.

“But respectfully … I hope I destroy him tomorrow.’’

Not quite. Thomas shot the better score – 70 to 72 – but missed the playoff by a shot to finish in a tie for third.

Riley got some bragging rights ... and a great learning experience in the process. He earned $850,200 and is now 32nd in FedEx Cup points, which sets him up nicely for the rest of the year.

“I’ve just got to be me,’’ he said. “And me is good enough to compete at the highest level.’’