RENO, Nev. -- Chris Riley parred the first playoff hole to
come from two strokes down and claim his first PGA Tour victory
Sunday when Jonathan Kaye's 5-footer for par lipped out at the $3
million Reno-Tahoe Open.
Riley, a 28-year-old Las Vegas resident who finished third last
week at the PGA Championship, two-putted from 8 feet on the first
playoff hole, the 429-yard, par 4, 18th to claim the $540,000
first-place prize.
"This is something you dream about,'' said Riley, who competed
with Tiger Woods in San Diego in junior golf and starred at UNLV.
"The state of Nevada, I felt them pulling for me all week,'' he
said. "It was a great match today. We were back and forth. I
really never had the lead until the end.''
Tied with Steve Flesch when they started the day at 12-under,
Riley and Kaye both shot 5-under 67s in regulation to tie the
tourney record of 271 defending champ John Cook set last year at
the par 72 Montreux Golf & Country Club course.
Kaye, who bogeyed the 636-yard, par 5 17th to allow Riley back
into a tie for the lead, had a chance to win in regulation but
barely missed his 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
"It was in the heart of the cup with 3 inches to go,'' Kaye
said.
"I hit a good putt ... but it just wasn't meant to be. The golf
gods weren't with me today.''
Riley played Saturday's round at the PGA last week with Woods, a
longtime friend. He said he gained confidence by matching Woods'
score of 72 that day.
"It was incredible last Saturday playing with Tiger Woods. He
told me, 'Chris, you are going to win.' That's how smart that guy
is,'' Riley said.
"This has been hard work over my whole career. I've never
really won anything, but I've always competed hard and I finally
kicked the door down.''
Riley, who now has won more than $1.7 million on the year, drove
left into the deep rough on the final regulation hole but managed a
155-yard shot to the front fringe before his 75-foot chip for
birdie grazed the hole and he settled for par.
Riley hit the fairway on the playoff hole while Kaye hit right
in the rough and found the front bunker on his approach. Kaye
chipped to 5 feet, but missed the putt.
Charles Howell III, who held the first-round lead at 7-under 65
but followed with a pair of 73s, had the best round of the day at
64 to claim a share of third place at 13-under 275 with J.J. Henry,
who closed with a 68.
Craig Stadler started the day just one off the pace in search of
his first win in six years, but had a pair of bogeys on the front
nine en route to a 74, tied for 12th at 9-under for the tourney.
Kaye went birdie-birdie-eagle on holes two through four. He
opened a two-shot lead with a two-putt birdie from 30 feet on the
584-yard, par 5 11th.
But Riley made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 15th and moved back
into a tie when Kaye -- trying for the green in two -- hit his second
shot in the deep rough short of the 636-yard, par 5 17th, was short
on his next shot as well and chipped up to 10 feet, where he missed
his attempt to save par.
"In retrospect, I wish I would have layed up and hit in the
fairway. That's probably where I lost the tournament,'' Kaye said.
Riley earlier missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 491-yard, par 4
14th. He made one from 20-feet on the next hole to cut the margin
to one and had a chance to tie at that point, but his 16-foot
birdie attempt came up a half-inch short on the 183-yard, par 3
16th.
Kaye, a 32-year-old self-taught player from Colorado, also
grazed the hole with a 34-foot birdie attempt on 16.