Nick Hardy and Davis Riley Team Up for First PGA Tour Wins at Zurich Classic

With their team victory, the pair of best friends will be exempt on the PGA Tour until 2025.

Since 1970, 19 players have captured their first PGA Tour victories at the Zurich Classic. With their two-shot team victory over Canadians Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin, Nick Hardy and Davis Riley have officially added to that growing list. 

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. 

MORE: Final prize money, payouts from the Zurich Classic

Plenty of perks come with Hardy and Riley’s win at TPC Louisiana. They will each be exempt on the PGA Tour through 2025 and will each receive 400 FedEx Cup points. Hardy will move to 33rd in the standings, while Riley moves to 39th. Their advancements will likely secure their spots in next year’s designated events as part of the PGA Tour’s new schedule structure. 

“This is so special and to share it with one of my best friends out here on Tour is a dream come true. Just the progression of playing high school, college golf, and playing PGA Tour golf now. Super special to share this moment with Nick,” Riley said. 

Riley and Hardy have been friends since they were 14 years old. Riley, 26, played his college golf at the University of Alabama. His best finish on the PGA Tour before the Zurich was at the 2022 Valspar Championship, where he lost to Sam Burns in a playoff. Hardy, 27, played at the University of Illinois. Earlier this season, Hardy missed five cuts in a row. His best prior finish for the 2022-2023 season was a T5 at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship. 

The team’s round was highlighted by a clutch birdie on the par-3 17th, where Riley holed a putt from off the green, all but securing their victory. 

Davis Riley is clutch!! 🔥@NickHardy8 and @DavisRiley68 extend their lead to two after the birdie on 17 @Zurich_Classic. pic.twitter.com/J4OX6vFEAx

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 23, 2023

“I don’t know why I was really nervous,” Hardy said of his mindset heading into the final round. "I pointed out earlier that I think golfers are kind of control freaks and I feel like in alternate shot you don’t really have control. But Davis has been so good this week that I knew I just needed to play my game and be solid because he’s just been playing so well.”

The pairing of Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler began the day with the lead, but two costly bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes put them out of contention. Meanwhile, Hadwin and Taylor fired a final-round 63 to tie Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay’s alternate-shot scoring record.