Davis Riley is now one step away from the PGA Tour.
The former Alabama star won the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC San Antonio Championship on Saturday, making birdie on three of his last four holes for a closing 67 and a two-shot win over Taylor Pendrith and Paul Barjon.
The victory is Riley’s second of the season, sending him to the top of the Korn Ferry Tour points standings. Even more importantly: He’s now one title away from an instant promotion to the PGA Tour.
Riley, 23, was thought to be one of the players most significantly impacted by the PGA Tour’s decision not to have any promotion or relegation this season because of the coronavirus pandemic. With any potential graduation delayed until fall 2021, Riley aimed to improve on his hot start to the year and stated that his goal was to win three times.
“It’s a bummer,” he said last month, when the Korn Ferry Tour restarted its season, “but there’s not much you can do about it. All I can do is control what I can and try to be prepared every week.”
There are 11 more events this year on the Korn Ferry Tour. If Riley wins one of those, he’ll immediately earn a PGA Tour card. Even if he doesn’t, he’s virtually assured of being among the top 10 in points at the end of the season, guaranteeing him conditional status on the 2020-21 PGA Tour that would make him eligible for events held opposite World Golf Championships and majors.