Chris almost had to withdraw from the 2004 Ryder Cup, since he and his wife Michelle were expecting their first child that same week. But, she showed her patriotic colors by delivering their daughter, Taylor, two weeks early. Although the U.S. team was soundly thumped by the Europeans, Riley demonstrated his mettle by holing a tough six-foot par putt on the 18th green to secure a team victory in the alternate-shot for himself and partner Tiger Woods.

Just a month before our meeting with Chris, Tiger Woods had broken Phil Mickelson's Shadow Creek course record 62 by firing a 60. And that included a bogey on the fourth hole and a tee ball in the water on number five. Needless to say, the best golfers in the world regularly find their way to this desert haven, and since the year 2000, when MGM Grand purchased the properties previously owned by Mirage Resorts, the course has been open to all hotel guests of MGM MIRAGE. To passionate golfers, that was like receiving an invitation to the White House.

The signature hole at Shadow Creek is another par three, the 17th, which plays anywhere from 135 to 160 yards from four distinct plateau tee locations. The hole drops gracefully down to a small green set against a backdrop of pine trees, willows, and a 30-foot waterfall which cascades into a bubbling creek and from there into a lake that fronts the green. White swans float nonchalantly across the water. The 17th is a three dimensional painting come to life.

Riley lofts a dozen pitching wedges as photographer Fernando Escovar captures the scenery, and the last ball stops inches in front of the hole. “I made an ace here once, but it didn't count,” Riley says with a big grin. “That's because I hit my first shot in the water.”

From there we go to the amazing finale, a 520-yard par- five which meanders to the right along Shadow Creek, with accenting bunkers catching tee-shots headed for a watery grave. It's a classic risk-reward hole with a creek protecting a rather small green, but is still reachable in two by big hitters. Again, Riley hits a half dozen four-irons to the green, and the last one actually lips out. He jokes that the shot nibbled the worm but didn't take the hook.

“I could play here the rest of my life and never get bored,” he says, as he practices making 15-footers on the practice green beside the clubhouse. “I'll never forget how after I'd graduated and before I qualified for the Tour, I went through a period where I didn't have privileges at Shadow Creek, and how empty that felt. Once you've tasted the best, everything else comes up a little short.”

And that's exactly what architect Tom Fazio had in mind when he was designing the course in the late 1980s. In an interview in 2000 Fazio said: “Every square foot of land on those 300 acres was handcrafted to provide an unforgettable golfing experience. There was not one inch of soil that was not touched physically by a human. We had the freedom to create an environment, and we did it.”

Fazio says that because the course was built from scratch on a previously barren and unattractive parcel of land, and with a more than generous budget, he knew he would be given full credit if the final result was deemed a masterpiece, and take full blame if the course didn't live up to expectations. GOLF magazine and Golf Digest, which are normally reluctant to give top honors to new courses, both ranked Shadow Creek in their top ten within four years of its opening. And the Robb Report called it: “The Best Golf Course in the World,” beating out finalists like Augusta National, Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Pine Valley, and St. Andrews.

Chris Riley, who's played all of them and more, would heartily agree. “There can't be a better way for a golfer to spend a day,” he says, “than strolling down the fairways of Shadow Creek. This is heaven.”