DETROIT — Davis Riley has put himself in a position to win on the PGA Tour for the first time in more than two years and to earn a postseason bid.
Riley shot a 7-under 63 to reach 15 under on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) and took a one-shot lead at Detroit Golf Club, where the relatively easy course will give a lot of players on the tightly packed leaderboard a chance to win the last Rocket Classic.
Riley closed with consecutive birdies, making a 54-foot putt at No. 17 and a 10-footer at 18 to pull into a first-place tie with Michael Brennan.
Riley is aiming for his third career win and first since the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge — and to get into the postseason.
He has missed 10 cuts, including last week’s 3M Open, and is No. 146 in the FedEx Cup standings.
The Rocket Classic and next week’s Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advance to playoffs.
Riley had an opportunity to win the season-opening Sony Open as the third-round leader before closing with a 71 and falling into a tie for sixth.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I’m just excited that I’ve started to put the things together and have a chance.”
Brennan (64) had a strong round with seven birdies, but missed a 9-foot putt to bogey 18 and lost a share of the lead.
Rasmus Hojgaard (61), Chris Kirk (66), Rickie Fowler (67) and Cameron Young (68) were three shots back.
Xander Schauffele (67) is in a group another stroke back, going into the final round on Sunday.
Hojgaard became the third player in as many days to match the course record with a 61, giving him the lead before Brennan's birdies put him ahead.
