FORT WORTH, Texas -- We've reached the halfway mark of the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, and 27-year-old Davis Riley finds himself at the top of the leaderboard with a two-shot advantage. Riley fired a bogey-free 6-under 64 on Friday afternoon, tying the day's low round, and is the first player to reach double-digits under par in the tournament at 10-under.
The only hiccup in Riley's second round was having to wait over an hour to tap home a routine par putt on the final hole, as a 70-minute lightning delay forced him to place a marker down and trot back to the clubhouse. Riley took advantage of the delay to grab a quick bite to eat and knocked home his par once play resumed.
"I was starving, so I got some food, which was nice," Riley said after the round. "Luckily, it was a three-footer straight up the hill. So [there] wasn't too much to stress about. I knocked in about five three-footers before walking over to cap off the round. Yeah, hit it center cut and made it."
Riley's flawless Friday puts him in the final pairing heading into the weekend for the first time in his young career, as he leads Hayden Buckley and Pierceson Coody by two strokes. Buckley and Coody both shot 5-under 65 on Friday afternoon.
While Riley's game looks sharp through 36 holes in Fort Worth, it's been a struggle for the former University of Alabama standout for most of the 2024 season. He missed the cut in six of his first nine starts this year, with his best result being a T52 at The Sentry. But Riley has started putting the pieces back together over the last few weeks, with a T14 at the Houston Open and T30 at the Byron Nelson since the beginning of April. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi native recently teamed back up with his old swing coach, Jeff Smith, and he credits a simple and positive mindset for his strong start this week.
"I feel like I just needed to get a little bit more simplicity," Riley said. "We haven't re-invented the wheel or done anything different. I feel like I'm in a good head space and comfortable there and like simplicity has been the key for me."
This isn't Riley's first time being in contention at Colonial Country Club over the weekend, as he finished T4 here in his tournament debut in 2022.
"I think I grabbed the lead on the 10th or 11th hole on the back nine on Sunday," Riley recalled. "I think I hit a not-good tee shot on one of the holes coming in that cost me. But I like this place a lot, I feel comfortable around it. Just trying to draw back on memories from that and the good play I had my rookie year at this event and some others and just trying to get back to some of that form."
SCHEFFLER FIGHTS BACK
Following his first over-par round of the 2024 campaign, DFW native Scottie Scheffler responded Friday morning with a massive charge up the leaderboard, as the reigning Masters champion shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 to qualify for the weekend. As if that was ever in doubt.
Scheffler's second round got off to a sluggish start, as he made only one birdie and seven pars through his opening eight holes of the day. But the World No. 1 wouldn't stay quiet for long, as he rattled off four consecutive birdies to jump from 1-over to 3-under in the blink of an eye.
The two-time major champion also went full magician and saved his best for last, chipping in from off the green at the par-4 9th hole and sending the Fort Worth faithful into a frenzy.
Scheffler (-3) sits T15 heading into the weekend, seven strokes behind Riley. He'll tee off Saturday at 11:35 a.m. CT with Tom Kim.
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