There's Nothing Like Team Golf as Davis Riley & Nick Hardy Win in Louisiana

Davis Riley and Nick Hardy have somebody to lean on.

Each other.

The longtime friends teamed up for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans — the PGA Tour's lone team event — and earned their maiden Tour titles together in a record-setting performance.

Riley, 26, and Hardy, 27, started the final round three shots back. However, amid a bogey-free, 16-under weekend, they birdied four of their last six holes for a two-shot victory and a tournament-record total of 30-under 258, surpassing the 259 mark Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele set in their 2022 triumph.

"I feel like we both handled (the nerves) very well coming down the stretch," Hardy said afterward. "First timers, obviously. So to be able to do that together, kind of rub off each other's confidence and sort of attitude. It was definitely special to have a partner for the first one."

The Zurich Classic, though, wasn't their first rodeo as a team. Riley and Hardy first met as teenagers while playing AJGA events and they partnered at the 2014 Wyndham Cup.

"I don't remember much about the week," Hardy said, "but I know we were partners. It goes back to our friendship and seeing each other — I don't know how many events we played together, hundreds of golf tournaments together ... We know each other's games well, and we both know how hard we work at it."

Maybe their win is a springboard for them playing golf's most famed team event — the Ryder Cup. After their breakthroughs in New Orleans, Riley rose from 39th to 20th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings and Hardy went from 87th to 33rd.

Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler led after each of the first three rounds at TPC Louisiana. However, in pursuit of their maiden Tour wins, they closed with a 1-under 71 and finished third, three strokes back.

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Still, Hossler rose from 58th to 46th on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list and Clark jumped from 35th to 30th.

Schauffele and Cantlay fell short of successfully defending their title by finishing T-4, but they still left Nola with a record. On Friday, they shot a tournament-best foursomes round of 9-under 63.

It's expected that their chemistry — which they rode to a 2-0 foursomes record at the 2021 Ryder Cup — will be on display in September for Team USA at the Ryder Cup. Following their top-5 in New Orleans, Cantlay remains at No. 6 in the U.S. standings and Schauffele stayed at No. 10.

And maybe they'll be joined by Hardy and/or Riley at Marco Simone in Rome, Italy. However, before the Zurich Classic, few thought that would be a possibility.

Coming into last week, Hardy had missed six of his last eight cuts and Riley recently withdrew from the Valero Texas Open and then missed the RBC Heritage cut.

But now, with the winless monkey off their backs — and a two-year exemption on Tour — the sky might be their limit.

Crediti foto: Getty Images

"To be a winner on Tour in your second year midway through the season with one of my best friends is really cool," Riley said. "Hopefully it's going to open up the floodgates for the both of us. Nick's game is in a really good spot, and I feel like mine's in a really nice direction as well.

"Hopefully, it's just the beginning for both of us."

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.