Woods provides Las Vegas’ Riley confidence for first PGA Tour win

Scott Sonner

Monday, Aug. 26, 2002 | 9:18 a.m.

RENO -- Chris Riley has admired Tiger Woods' game since their days playing junior golf in San Diego. Now, he's impressed with his skills as a prognosticator.

As Woods predicted, Riley claimed his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, beating Jonathan Kaye with a par on the first playoff hole 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 extra hole -- the 429-yard, par-4 18th -- to claim the $540,000 first-place prize.

"This is something you dream about," said Riley, who starred at UNLV and saw his confidence soar by matching Woods' score of 72 when they played together in last Saturday's round at the PGA.

"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."

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.

"The state of Nevada, I felt them pulling for me all week," Riley said. "It was a great match today. We were back and forth. I really never had the lead until the end."

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, who 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 laid 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.