“Not any shot lead is too comfortable” – Davis Riley describes what it’s like having World No.1 Scottie Scheffler ‘breathing down your neck’

Charles Schwab Challenge - Final Round
Davis Riley and Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge

Davis Riley registered a memorable victory at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday, May 26. This was Riley's second win on the PGA Tour, and also his first individual win. However, the 27-year-old did not have it easy as World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was on his tail right to the end.

After his victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Riley explained how it felt having Scheffler chase him. He feels no lead is comfortable against a golfer of Scheffler's caliber, saying (via Ten Golf on YouTube):

"It was certainly nice to start out with four shots. But you got the No. 1 player in the world breathing down your neck. Not really any shot lead is too comfortable. I knew at some point today, he was going to make a push and I expected that. And honestly, I tried to treat today as if we both started hide and I just tried to win the day." (03:41 onwards)

You can check out what Davis Riley said during the media interaction in the video below:

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At the end of the tournament, Riley was successful in defending his lead against Scottie Scheffler and won by a margin of five strokes. Scheffler eventually tied for second place with Keegan Bradley, while Colin Morikawa and Sepp Straka finished fourth and fifth respectively.


Davis Riley details what he told his caddie ahead of Round 4 of Charles Schwab Challenge 2024

Davis Riley holds aloft the trophy after winning the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
Davis Riley holds aloft the trophy after winning the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge

When Round 3 at the Colonial Country Club ended, Davis Riley had a comfortable four-stroke lead over Scottie Scheffler. However, as he mentioned above, a lead of four strokes against Scheffler can never be enough given the 2024 Masters winner's ability to emerge victorious from setbacks.

Riley, in the same media interaction after his victory at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge, mentioned that he stayed focused ahead of Round 4. He also spoke about what he told his caddie ahead of the last round at the Colonial Country Club.

Riley said:

"I told my caddy before the round, 'I just want to be I want to get lost in the process of it. I want to just be so focused on what I'm doing, the process I'm going through, picking targets, being really detail-oriented.' I just wanted to get lost in that and then show up on 16 to 17 and be right where I wanted to be." (04:07 onwards)

You can check out highlights of Riley's play at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge in the video below:

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Riley's focus paid off as he picked up his first win of the 2024 season.

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman