The Mississippi native signed for a seven under 63 around Detroit Golf Club on Saturday, enough to take him to 15 under for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Michael Brennan, while Rasmus Hojgaard, Chris Kirk, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young were three shots back.
Riley was in the mix in the dying embers of his round. He rolled in a massive 54-foot birdie putt on the 17th and his ten-foot putt on the last put him tied with Brennan for the lead.
However, Brennan’s bogey on the 18th came after a missed nine-footer, which cost him the lead.
For Riley, it’s been a difficult time on the PGA Tour. He has just one top ten finish this year to go with ten missed cuts. But with two titles to his name – most recently at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge – he knows the talent exists within him.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” the 29-year-old told the press.
“I’m just excited that I’ve started to put the things together and have a chance.”
Further down the leaderboard, Xander Schauffele is in a group four shots off the lead going into the final round on Sunday.
