NEW ORLEANS, LA. (WDAM) – The PGA Tour\u2019s only team event begins Thursday as the Zurich Classic tees off at TPC Louisiana.<\/p>\n
For Hattiesburg native Davis Riley, the tournament carries extra meaning. <\/p>\n
The Presbyterian Christian School graduate won the event in 2023 with partner Nick Hardy, finishing at 30-under 258. The two became the first duo since the team format started in 2017 to finish with a 72-hole total of 30-under or better.<\/p>\n
Riley has finished inside the top 30 in each of the last four years.<\/p>\n
Playing two hours from home adds significance for Riley.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a little bit more,\u201d Riley said. \u201cObviously, you want to put on a show for, you know, your friends and family and stuff like that. So yeah, I just, I think just have fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riley said the course reminds him of Canebrake Golf Club in Hattiesburg, where he learned the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many similarities between this course and the course I grew up on, so I think that\u2019s why I\u2019m very comfortable around it,\u201d Riley said. \u201cThere\u2019s quite a bit of water and Bermuda grass, so I\u2019m very familiar with that, and that\u2019s what I was born and raised and grew up playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riley said the Bermuda grass around the greens can be challenging for many players, but his experience gives him an advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had enough laps around it and some reps around it that I\u2019m pretty comfortable with it,\u201d Riley said. \u201cNot to say that it\u2019s easy, but I feel like I definitely know how to manage it, so I feel like that gives me a little bit of an edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riley has two career victories on the PGA Tour. He and Hardy tee off on Thursday at 8:18 a.m.<\/p>\n