PENFIELD, N.Y. – Zach Riley capped his illustrious men's golf career at The W by finishing in a tie for 31st in the nation at the NCAA Division III Championships at the Midvale Country Club. Four days of rain, wind, and cold temperatures created a challenging tournament for the field, with just three players – out of 225 – finishing in red numbers for the week.
Riley shot an aggregate of 72-76-76-75=299 for the tournament. Thursday's third round actually became a marathon session, as the decision was made to play additional holes to make sure the event was completed by Friday. Riley ended up playing 29 holes. Beginning his round on the 10th hole, Riley took his tee shot on the par-5 No. 3 – actually the 11th hole of his "final round" - before having to mark his ball and resume from that point on Friday morning.
With constant rain overnight, the conditions were actually worse. When Riley took what was his second shot, he found a fairway bunker. He got out of the bunker cleanly and then pitched up to within six feet of the pin. Riley calmly drained the par-saving putt to give him some momentum.
Or so he thought.
No sooner had Riley's group reported to the fourth tee box, then a weather delay was called that halted play for more than three hours. Action resumed around Noon Eastern Time, with Riley capping his final round as an Owl with a plus-3 score of 75.
In one of those quirky twists, Zach Riley – who is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley – was paired with Penn College's Peyton Mussina in his group. Peyton is the son of baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, who faithfully walked the course each day supporting his boy at the NCAAs.
Riley exits The W as the only player to make the cut at the NCAA championships. He finished his career as an Owl with 25 top-10 finishes, a pair of first team All-SLIAC honors, and three USCAA All-American finishes early in his career.
The Owls team finished 35th in the nation for NCAA III (up from last year's 38th place), but failed to make the 18-team cut. It marked the second-consecutive NCAA III championship appearance for Head Coach Benji Williams' lineup of Riley, Spence Davis, Matt Wilkinson, Luke Yocum, and Cameron James. James is the only underclassman among the group that defined The W men's golf for the past two years.
"I am so proud and happy for Zach," Williams said. "He has literally been the face of The W golf and a part of the program since its infancy. He definitely made his mark and set the bar high for future Owls. He deserved to have this moment at the Championships."
"And I can't say 'thank you' enough to our other three players who capped their careers with a SLIAC championship and another NCAA appearance. They all stuck together, challenged each other, and pushed each other to become better as a program. Every young man on this roster has, at one time of another, stood tall for us. I love these guys and was honored to coach a group like this."