Davis Riley, the golfer from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has etched his name in the history books. He, Tiger Woods, and Jordan Spieth are the only three players who made it to the US Junior Amateur finals two years in a row. Well, the golfer has been on a high surge with his performance. He has even been the topic of talk with his performance at the PGA Tour. He had earned his card for the 2021 season.

Except for his average start in 2025, where he missed the cut in four events, he made a comeback with a T48 finish at the Cognizant Classic. Following on the upside trend, the golfer, after two rounds, is in a lead at the Puerto Rico Open. With his past performances and current scaling performance, it is evident not to miss the golfer on the upside climb with his course appearances. Let’s take a look at the golfer’s life and career in detail. 

The beginning of the PGA Tour professional’s life

Riley was born to Davis and Kim Riley on December 17, 1996. The 28-year-old professional from Mississippi attended the Presbyterian Christian School. Since his school years, the golfer has been turning heads with his swing. Well, to prove that, he had bagged the Mississippi state title for four straight years. 

He even made it to the finals of the US Junior Amateur two years in a row (2014 & 2015). Even though he might have missed the opportunity to clinch the title, he has matched the feat of Woods and Spieth with two consecutive appearances. At first, he lost to Scottie Scheffler and then to his friend Will Zalatoris. 

Despite that, he was named the 2014-15 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Boys Golf Player of the Year. Following great success in his junior years, he won a scholarship to join the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2015. As his impressive performance continued, he was the Second Team All-SEC as a sophomore and the best collegiate player in the country entering his junior year.

In 2018, Riley played in the Palmer Cup, compiling a 2-2 record to help the American team win over the International team. After progressing for the country team, the golfer then chose to compete against the best of the world and turned professional in 2019. 

A glimpse of Davis Riley’s professional career

Riley, despite not having status, joined the Korn Ferry Tour, all thanks to sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. Following his entry as a professional in 2019, he was awarded special temporary membership for his splendid performance. As expected, the golfer did not disappoint. After starting the 2020 season, he clinched his first professional victory in his third tournament of the year at the Panama Championship. 

The victory helped him get full membership, but the season was affected by the pandemic. After a few months’ break, the schedule resumed, and the golfer utilised it for his second tour victory at the TPC San Antonio Championship in July 2020. The victories might have gotten a halt after two, but Riley was still achieving great finishes as he added five top 10s in 36 events played. 

After getting his Tour card and turning professional, he has been battling for his PGA Tour title. In March 2022 at the Valspar Championship, he lost in the playoffs to Sam Burns, whereas he finished fourth in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his partner Zalatoris. A week later, at the Mexico Open, he was placed fifth. 

But the never-give-up attitude of the golfer has been the quality to praise. He has been featured in the US Open thrice; while missing the cut twice, he finally was placed for T31 in 2023. The year was indeed the greatest as, apart from his US Open achievement, he also bagged his first PGA Tour title. The golfer, along with his teammate Nick Hardy, won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April 2023. 

However, the golfer was still looking for his debut win individually. Well, he did not have to wait longer, as in 2024, he bagged his first individual win at the Charles Schwab Challenge, beating his old rival Scheffler, to whom he lost in 2013 at the US Junior Amateur. 

Well, for the 2025 schedule, after continuously missing the cut, he has started to redeem himself with T48 at Cognizant and now leads after two rounds at the Puerto Rico Open. Will the golfer get the redemption? What are your predictions for his 2025 schedule? Share with us in the comments below.