Davis Riley was going places in golf even at age 9

By Stan Caldwell

stanmansportsfan.com

It was 2006, maybe 2007, that the Hattiesburg American sports desk got a call about a nine-year-old golf phenomenon in the area who was reportedly tearing it up in age-group tournaments.

It was summer, mid-June, early-July, that time of year in the local sportswriting business between the end of baseball season and the run-up to football season, about a six, seven-week period when you have to dig deep for story ideas.

And with youth sports falling under the aegis of the high school beat, the assignment fell to me. I probably groaned inside but steeled myself to take one for the team. I’d talk to the kid, talk to his parents, bang out a story and start looking for something else to work on.

Ask any reporter, but especially sports reporters, and they will tell you that the hardest people to interview are children under age 10.

Most nine-year-olds barely know what a newspaper is, their minds haven’t been trained to think logically yet and most of them clam up when confronted by an interview, or have to be coaxed by mom and/or dad to say anything at all.

Then, usually, it’s some version of, “uh huh,” or, “yeah,” or “I guess.” You usually have to rely on the parents for the meat quotes and piece together what the kid says into something coherent, or let them put words in the child’s mouth, which I’m not a fan of.

Anyway, I took the contact information, called the family to set a time for interviews and got the address of the young man’s home.

First raised eyebrow was the address and the directions: someplace in Canebrake. It may be a local stereotype, but it is a fact that Canebrake is still the highest of the high-rent districts in the immediate Hattiesburg area. Gotta have beaucoups bucks to buy a house out there.

So, that right there told me that this young man’s family had the means to help him pursue his interest in golf.

Again, nothing wrong with that. Although it’s loosened up some in the Age of Tiger, golf is still expensive. Good gear costs money, and that’s before you get into lessons, club memberships, greens fees, travel, lodging, etc.

It came about, then, that I drove to Canebrake one midweek evening, and arrived at the home of David and Kim Riley, which sat right on one of the fairways at the Canebrake Country Club. Again, another raised eyebrow. Apparently, these people are serious about this, I’m thinking.

Intriguing.

I ring the doorbell, a parent ushers me in and I am introduced to Davis Riley, aged 9 going on 15.

You could see right away that there was something different about this kid. Kid? I referred to him as a young man earlier, and he was all of that. Polite, with a firm handshake, well-groomed, tastefully dressed.

What followed was one of the most fascinating interviews of my career. I sat for about a half-hour talking to this nine-year-old, about his travels, his game and his ambitions.

The longer it went, the more amazed I was. This was one of the smartest, most articulate 9-year-olds I’ve ever seen, professionally or otherwise. Still is, for that matter.

Answered in complete sentences. Thought about his answers and spoke without prompting from Mom and Dad, except when he wasn’t sure about a few details. He already understood the game and was already a deep student of the game. At age 9.

Turns out, the Rileys weren’t blowing smoke, either. Their son (the couple also have a daughter) was indeed a phenom. He had already been competing, and either winning or placing high, in age-group tournaments all over the country.

And we’re not talking about layouts like the legendary Goat Ranch out at the old Van Hook Golf Course that Southern Miss used to operate, which, for all its well-remembered charm, was still a goat ranch.

No sir, we’re talking about places like Pinehurst No. 2, Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, places where the big boys play.

Sometimes, when you interview a really talented youngster – I’m talking age 11-14, never mind 9 – the parents sometimes hover and try to guide the interview instead of letting it flow naturally. They also sometimes give off a pushy vibe.

But this family seemed relaxed and let their nine-year-old talk. I got a real sense that they had already penciled out a plan and were confident their son could follow it. And I don’t know if he’d ever been interviewed by a reporter before, but he sure acted like he had.

I went back to the office the next day to write the story and told everyone who would listen that if Davis Riley didn’t lose the plot, we’d be seeing him in about 20 years on the PGA Tour.

I’ve been wrong about a lot of things in my career, and with kids, you never know. But I just felt like Riley had the right combination of smarts, determination, skills and support to be successful in anything he set his mind to, whether it was golf or medicine or law or whatever.

And I WAS wrong. It only took him 15 years to get there.

Now, the rest of the golf world knows what those of us in South Mississippi and beyond have known for years. Davis Riley is going places in golf.

In three years since turning pro upon graduation from the University of Alabama, Riley has played his way to the game’s top level, earning his PGA Tour card last fall, and he’s made the most of the opportunity.

So far in his rookie season on the Tour, he has five Top 10 finishes in 31 starts and has already won more than $2 million in prize money.

It was his latest effort, though, that introduced Riley to more casual golf fans, the ones (like me) who usually only watch the majors, and maybe the Ryder Cup, as he played four solid rounds at the PGA Tournament this past weekend.

Riley positioned himself in the top 10 through the first two rounds at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shooting back-to-back 68s to finish 36 holes at 4-under-par.

On Saturday, playing on the biggest stage, with some of the biggest names in pro golf, Riley stayed in there through the first nine holes, briefly reaching 5-under, and still seemed to be in business after a birdie at the ninth hole, a par-4 that was a birdie hole all day.

Then reality seemed to set in. Riley went 3-over on the back nine to fall back to 1-under heading into the final round.

It looked like he might still finish in the Top 10 after covering the front nine on Sunday in 1-under, but then he bogeyed 10 and had a double-bogey at 11 to go to 1-over-par with seven holes to play.

Riley again rallied, with birdies at 12, 13 and 17, but he hit a double-bogey at 18 to finish the tournament tied for 13th place at even-par 280.

By the way, Riley was in good company with his double at 18 Sunday. Chilean Mito Periera, the leader after 54 holes, carried a one-shot lead to 18 and had a double-bogey, so he not only didn’t win the tournament, he also failed to make a playoff. That’s the cruel nature of the game.

Despite Riley’s fade over the last 27 holes, finishing tied for 13th place in his first major is quite an accomplishment.

For a 25-year-old rookie to cover one of the country’s premier courses in par, after playing mostly under-par throughout the weekend, in a major tournament is nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, it points to a great future.

CBS-TV even mentioned at one point Saturday that it looks like Riley and Cameron Young, who finished tied for third – with Periera, as it happened – are the top two contenders for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

Riley shouldn’t be a surprise to those who have been paying attention. He first announced his presence by winning the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2014, at age 16, and earning a berth in the U.S. Open as a result. He didn’t make the cut, but it was a nice way to start a career.

Later that summer, Riley qualified for the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup, helping the American team defeat Europe 16-8.

Riley began playing for the varsity team at Presbyterian Christian School as a seventh-grader, leading the Bobcats to several MAIS state titles. As a senior in 2015, he was named All-USA Today Boys Golf Player of the Year.

Allen Smithers, who coached some great ones over his nearly 40 years as a golf coach, finishing at PCS, called Riley, “the best golfer I’ve ever seen,” in a Hattiesburg American article that appeared June 17, 2015.

Riley graduated with honors from PCS in 2015, then went to the University of Alabama, where he played for three seasons. He was a third-team NCAA All-American his junior season in 2018.

After turning pro, Riley struggled initially in making the transition from the college game to the pro tours.

Still, he managed to qualify for a number of events on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, then was a regular on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, winning twice, at San Antonio and in Panama.

He finished 2020 with the two wins, seven Top 10-finishes and 16 Top 25s in 37 starts, earning his PGA Tour card for 2022 by finishing the season in the Top 50 on the Korn Ferry Tour, and his game has just gotten better and better.

So far this season, his best finish was second place at the Valspar Championships in March, after losing in a playoff, and he had a fourth-place tie with Will Zalatoris at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April.

Riley came into the PGA Championship on the strength of a fifth-place finish at the Mexico Open on May 1 and a ninth-place tie in the AT&T Byron Nelson on May 15.

Now, its back home to his base in Dallas, where he’ll prepare for the Charles Schwab Challenge this weekend at nearby Fort Worth.

Then there is The Memorial in Ohio and the RBC Canadian Open before the top pros gather for the U.S. Open, being played this year at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts on June 16-19.

That will be another chance for the nation to get another good look at one of golf’s bright young stars, from right here in our back yard.

And you heard it here first.

Stan Caldwell is a veteran sportswriter with more than 35 years experience in the Hattiesburg area.