Davis Riley closes strong, takes one-shot lead into final round of Rocket Classic

DETROIT (AP) — Davis Riley has put himself in a position to win on the PGA TOUR for the first time in more than two years and to earn a bid into the Playoffs.

Riley shot a 7-under 63 to reach 15 under on Saturday and took a one-shot lead at Detroit Golf Club, where the relatively easy course will give a lot of players on the tightly packed leaderboard a chance to win the Rocket Classic.

Riley closed with consecutive birdies, making a 54-foot putt at No. 17 and a 10-footer at 18 to pull into a first-place tie with Michael Brennan

Riley is aiming for his third career win and first since the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge – and to get into the Playoffs.

He has missed 10 cuts, including last week’s 3M Open, and is No. 146 in the FedEx Cup standings.

The Rocket Classic and next week’s Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advance to the Playoffs.

Riley had an opportunity to win the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii as the third-round leader before closing with a 71 and falling into a tie for sixth.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I’m just excited that I’ve started to put the things together and have a chance.”

Brennan (64) had a strong round with seven birdies, but missed a 9-foot putt to bogey No. 18 and lost a share of the lead.

Rasmus Højgaard (61), Chris Kirk (66), Rickie Fowler (67) and Cameron Young (68) were three shots back.

Xander Schauffele (67) is in a group another stroke back, going into the final round on Sunday.

Højgaard became the third player in as many days to match the course record with a 61, giving him the lead before Brennan’s birdies put him ahead.

First-round leader Peter Malnati opened with a 61 before plummeting to 4 under with a 71 and 74.

Young matched the mark on the second day, putting the third-ranked player in the world in a three-way tie for the second-round lead with Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.

Young, playing for the first time since a second-place finish at The Open, was in the final group on Saturday and had a rough round.

He missed 11-foot putts at Nos. 1 and 3, settling for par. His drive at No. 2 went wide right, landing on a berm with the ball above his feet, leading to another par.

The 24-year-old Brennan, a former Wake Forest star, is shooting for his second win and first since last year’s Bank of Utah Championship in his first start as a professional.

Brennan also has a chance to improve his shot at being in the Playoffs after entering the tournament No. 106 in the FedEx Cup standings. He made eight straight birdies, one shy of the PGA TOUR record, on Thursday to open with a 65 and shot a 67 on Friday.

Højgaard of Denmark is vying for his first win on the PGA TOUR after missing the cut in his last three starts – and just making it to the weekend at 3 under in Detroit.

Kirk, who was in a three-way playoff at last year’s Rocket Classic before Aldrich Potgieter won it, earned his sixth career victory at The Sentry early in 2024. Fowler’s sixth and last win was the 2023 Rocket Classic.