Ex-UNLV star Chris Riley finds PGA debut nerve-wracking

For at least a couple of hours last Thursday, Chris Riley had to be wondering whether he really belonged on the PGA Tour.

For a few minutes on Sunday, the former UNLV All-American found himself with a share of the lead at the Sony Open in Honolulu -- effectively ending his earlier self-doubts.

Riley, in his first tournament as a member of the PGA Tour, managed a sixth-place tie and a whopping $75,660 payday.

"It was real exciting," the Green Valley resident said. "When I got there on Monday, I walked onto the putting green and (Steve) Elkington and Tom Watson were putting and it was one of those things where you watched these guys on TV for so long and then you're with them.

"It was like, 'Hey, I guess I'm here.' "

But Riley, 25, admitted having some doubts a couple of hours later, when he stepped to the first tee to begin the tournament.

"My first shot as a PGA Tour pro, I hit it out of bounds on the driving range," Riley said. "I was so nervous, the club felt like (it weighed) 50 pounds."

But just as he did so many times during his four-year career at UNLV, Riley sucked it up and pressed on.

He rebounded from his embarrassing first tee shot and shot an opening-round 3-under-par 67. Riley followed that with rounds of 71, 68 and 68 and, after 14 holes on Sunday, was tied for the lead with Jeff Maggert.

Riley had moved to 7 under par for the tournament and a share of the lead with four consecutive birdies before taking a bogey on the par-4 15th hole. He finished the tournament at 6-under 274, three shots behind tournament winner Jeff Sluman.

"I just fought and battled and had a pretty good tournament -- I mean, real good for your first tournament," Riley said. "Before I left for Hawaii, my goal was just to get some experience.

"Hey, to finish in the top 10, I would have taken that before I left."

Although he admitted being nervous both on the practice green and the first tee, he said he grew more comfortable with his surroundings as the tournament progressed.

"Oh, definitely yes," Riley said when asked if he was nervous. "But it seemed like the more I got into the tournament, the more comfortable I felt and the more relaxed I was. I was real happy about it, it was real positive.

"It's really unbelievable that I made it out there (on tour) because I've always dreamed of doing it. I've got some positive feelings about it because I wasn't really nervous; the more I was out there, the more relaxed I got -- almost like I was meant to play this game. I feel like I've adjusted real fast."

Riley, who spent last season on the Nike Tour and qualified for the PGA Tour through the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, said he has adjusted his goals as a result of his finish in Hawaii.

"I didn't really know what to expect this year," Riley said. "Last year on the Nike Tour, I had some good tournaments. For the West Coast (PGA Tour) swing, I was just hoping to get some experience and get an idea of what it would be like out there."

Winning a PGA Tour event is now among Riley's revised goals for the 1999 campaign.

"That's definitely one of my goals now," he said. "I was pretty close last week. I feel like if I was a veteran and had been out there for a while, I think I could have won last week.

"But it was my first tournament and think my inexperience showed. But it also shows me that I can play out there."

What Riley hasn't adjusted to is the amount of money he is now playing for week in and week out on the PGA Tour.

"I'm going to go into each tournament acting like I haven't made a dollar," Riley said. "It's kind of hard for me to comprehend winning $80,000, or whatever I won, playing golf because I love to do it.

"The money out there is ridiculous. My mom was a school secretary and she told me, 'It took me five years to make that kind of money,' and it took me four days. I really feel blessed."

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