Chris Riley was born on December 8th, 1973 in California, USA. He attended the University of Nevada and became the first four year All American in any sport. Riley went on to play for the Walker Cup team in 1995 before turning pro the following year. He began by playing on the Nationwide Tour.

Riley earnt his playing rights for the PGA Tour in 1999. He finished in the top 30 of the money list in 2002 and 2003. He won the Reno Tahoe Open in 2002. These good results helped Riley make the 2004 Ryder Cup team. Since then his form has dipped and he finished outside the top 125 in 2005 and 2006.