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 San Diego native Chris Riley is headed back to the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School in December (PHOTO: Eddie Meeks). At the end of the day, it’s the difference between one or two extra putts made over the course of a 72-hole event — something San Diego’s Chris Riley can relate to. Riley earned $630,417 to finish 129th on the 2009 PGA Tour money list, four spots out of the coveted 125th spot that grants players fully exempt status for next season. But he was less than $33,000 behind Jimmy Walker, who tied for 15th at the season-ending Children’s Miracle Network Classic to earn $72,850 and vault from 130th to 125th. Walker finished at 12-under par for the event. Riley, on the other hand, came in at 6-under, tallying six more strokes that proved to be enough to drop him from 126th to 129th on the money list. His 4-under-par 68 in the final round was solid, but he thought it could have been even lower at the PGA Tour’s ’09 swan song over the weekend. “I was definitely 8- or 9-under out there today. I played that well,” said Riley, who turns 36 in December. “[It was about] a couple putts here and there. I’m a little disappointed knowing I didn’t finish in the top 125, but I came down here and tried my butt off, and it just didn’t work out. “It’s so competitive out here. It’s a chore to get in that 125.” he continued. “I really finished golf tournaments off poorly this year. That’s the reason why I am where I’m at. I’ve had a couple of opportunities really to not even worry about 125.” Those opportunities were a pair of tournaments in August. At the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open early in the month, Riley began the final round tied for sixth but shot a 1-over-par 73 to fall back into a tie for 17th. A more disappointing result came two weeks later at the Wyndham Championship, where he began the last 18 holes tied for the lead but faltered with a 4-over 74 that was largely the result of 33 putts — an uncharacteristic total for a player who ranked 14th on the 2009 PGA Tour in putts per round and is widely regarded as one of the most proficient putters in the world. Riley’s final standing doesn’t exactly put him in dire straits. By finishing inside the top 150 on the money list, the 2002 Reno-Tahoe Open winner and 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team member still has some exempt status for 2010. And, unlike those who finished outside the top 150, he can jump straight to the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School in early December — not exactly a joyous jump, but it’s one less stage of Q-School to deal with. Riley made it through the final stage in the Coachella Valley last year after a clutch up-and-down from the bunker on his last hole secured a qualifying spot. Despite needing to deal with the 108-hole process again, he heads in with some momentum, having not missed a cut on Tour since the AT&T National in July. |
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