On the rebound: Chris Riley's journey to Q-school and back  PGATOUR.com Correspondent It was September of 2006. Chris Riley found himself just outside Jackson, Miss., making every attempt to convince himself to keep pushing and keep plodding, that anything could happen in the game of golf.  Chris Riley, once one of the most promising players on TOUR, went through an extended slump in recent years. (Getty Images) Riley was searching -- futilely at the time -- for some magic during the four rounds of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic as the PGA TOUR season wound down. Rapidly running out of his exempt status, he needed to do something spectacular -- and soon -- to secure his job in 2007. Normally a jovial people person, Riley was dark and somber on this day. Clearly, he was a man conflicted, someone seeking the delicate balance between his traveling-man profession and the inexorable tug of his home life. Riley stated emphatically he loved golf, but his greatest affection was reserved for his family, wife Michelle and their pair of toddler daughters. He ached to see them when he was plying his trade away from home and he hated to uproot them to bring them on the road. And the last thing he ever wanted to hear was one of his daughters make a "Daddy, don't leave'' plea. At that moment in time he said his heart just wasn't in it. The gypsy-like existence of the PGA TOUR, with its cruel blender of airplanes, chain restaurants and hotels rooms in strange cities, had eaten away at his resistance. He had all the money he ever would need to live comfortably ever after, so what exactly was the point of putting his family through this uncommon grind? And that wasn't Riley's lowest moment. It came at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament when Riley caught the rotten end of a first-round draw and ballooned to an 83 in howling winds on PGA West's tough-as-nails Stadium Course. Rock bottom was hit when he walked out onto the range after the round. "It was like, 'Geez, this guy was on the Ryder Cup team in 2004 and now he's shooting 83 in Q-School,'" Riley said. "It just shows you how fast you can fall in this game.'' Two days later Riley withdrew, leaving him with just past champion status on the PGA TOUR, where starts are few and far between. Shortly thereafter Riley held a come-to-the-golf-gods meeting in his mind. He decided to start over, dedicating himself to game and personal improvement, this while being the best daddy he could possibly be. He became a fixture at the gym and on the range, spending the rest of his time with his family in their Las Vegas home.
"My confidence was shaken from two years of not playing well,'' he said. "But I came to the conclusion that I still wanted to play golf.'' Riley said he came to the understanding that everyone has his ups and downs, drawing an analogy to the mood swings of a New York stockbroker when the volatility of the market makes it impossible to predict. And he knew what was essential for him to succeed again at his chosen profession. "I've got to chip and putt my butt off to compete,'' he said. "I'm never going to hit it long like Phil (Mickelson) and Tiger, but if I can get my putter going I can compete.'' And now, for the rest of the story. Riley turned to an old friend last week before the start of Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby presented by Think, his second event this season on the Nationwide Tour. He dug deep into his club closet and pulled out the Ping Anser he used for seven years on the PGA TOUR. Lo and behold, the ball started rolling truly on the greens of Somerby Golf Club in Byron, Minn.
"I made a lot of putts,'' Riley said late Sunday evening after winning a playoff against amateur Jamie Lovemark on the second hole, a victory that was his first since the PGA TOUR's Reno-Tahoe Open in 2002. One he didn't make might have been his best. Resting on the fringe in two on the par-5 72nd hole and needing a birdie to tie Lovemark, the NCAA individual champion from Southern Cal, Riley masterfully rolled his third from 100 feet to within tap-in distance. And just like that Riley went from 204th on the Nationwide Tour money list to inside "The 25'' at 20th. The victory gave him immediate status and, although he plans to play in five more events on the PGA TOUR, he will concentrate on the Nationwide Tour for the rest of 2007, hoping to remain inside "The 25'' and regain his PGA TOUR playing privileges that way. Riley credited caddy Pat Esway, who used to carry for Paul Azinger, with helping him regain his focus and the fire in his belly, claiming he had it for more than a year now although he was given to moments when he was haunted about being away from home. "Everything surrounding our life was great until the kids came along,'' Riley said. "I love them more than anything and my game suffered because of those feelings. But I know now I love golf too. I just had to get to that point where I was comfortable.'' It took Riley a while, but he's there now. And it shows. He's playing well despite the fact that he has played competitively on two successive weeks just one this year. He even traveled to Korea to play in an Asian Tour event in an attempt to stay sharp. "My attitude now is, 'Yeah, I'm here. Let's play,'" said Riley, who obviously is in a better place now, more so than ever. |
