NEWS
Few players have left a mark on Golden Tee Mobile quite like Riley Hitchcock. A longtime Golden Tee cabinet player, Riley transitioned to mobile competition during the pandemic and quickly established himself as one of the game's elite competitors. After years of close calls, he finally broke through to claim his first Mobile World Championship before successfully defending the title the following year. We caught up with Riley to discuss his journey, the evolution of the game, and what it took to become a two-time world champion.
Riley started playing Golden Tee in 2003 when Golden Tee LIVE first came out. At first, he played pretty casually, but everything changed after he met Sean Gervais. Watching how he approached the game gave me a blueprint for what elite play actually looked like. It completely changed the way he thought about improving and pushed Riley to take the game much more seriously.
Riley was actually trying to qualify for the Golden Tee World Championship in early 2020 when COVID hit. Around that time he saw a Facebook post about Golden Tee Mobile and decided to download it in May of 2020.
He downloaded the game in May, but he really didn't become invested until October. Riley knew there was a Mobile World Championship, and someone from League reached out in September asking if he wanted to join.
That was the moment everything changed.
Riley remembers thinking, "I'm going to get really good at this."
He loved the competitive atmosphere on the cabinet side, and Mobile gave him that same feeling, except he could compete from home.
Riley remembers watching the very first Mobile Worlds on YouTube and immediately thinking, "I'm going to be there next year, and someday I'm going to win this thing."
By Worlds 2, the game had evolved dramatically. Players were discovering low-shot Javelins, Snipers, and aggressive recovery shots. Ranger putts had become a huge advantage because putting from the rough wasn't nearly as punishing as cabinet play. Suddenly, players could attack pins much more aggressively, knowing a miss just a few yards off the green wasn't the end of the world.
Riley came into his first Mobile World Championship after competing at the Nashville live event a few months earlier. Having previous cabinet experience gave him confidence because he already understood the pressure of live competition. His goal was simply to finish in the top four.
He ended up finishing third.
That felt like a huge accomplishment.
A few months later, Riley finished second at Windy City. That was the moment his mindset changed from "if" to "when."
He knew a championship was coming.
Going into Worlds 3, Riley had one mentality:
"If you're not first, you're last."
He had just won Windy City Showdown II and was playing some of the best Golden Tee of his career. The field was stronger than ever with 24 elite players, and the game had been completely redefined by the incredible shots everyone was capable of making.
After an early winners bracket loss, Riley battled all the way through the loser's bracket before finding himself needing to beat Whammy twice.
Walking onto the stage, he told him:
"Let's give them a show."
They certainly did.
Riley holed out three times on the front nine and cruised through the first match. Anyone who's been in that situation knows winning the first set puts tremendous pressure on your opponent.
The second match came down to the wire. Riley built an early lead before Whammy answered with a huge hole-out. Down one heading into Hole 16, Riley made one of the toughest putts of his life just to tie the match.
It looked like extra holes were inevitable.
Then an overly aggressive shot on 18 cost him.
One mistake.
One more year without a title.
Worlds 4 was mentally Riley's toughest tournament.
He had just gone 0-2 at Windy City Showdown and wasn't playing well. Instead of trusting his own game, he became too focused on what everyone else was doing. A few mental mistakes eventually led to a fourth-place finish.
For the first time, Riley genuinely wondered whether he'd ever win a World Championship.
Coming into Worlds 5, Riley was playing the best golf of anyone.
He was dominating league play, winning side tournaments, and consistently finding himself near the top of every event. But he'd also earned the reputation of always being in contention without ever closing the deal.
Riley started fast, shooting 2 Better and 3 Better in his opening matches before advancing through the winners bracket. After defeating RlyonsGolf, he earned his place in the King of the Hill match against FlyRy.
He was locked in.
Then came the championship against MrBond.
MrBond came out hot, forcing a second match after a hole-out on Pelican. Those familiar thoughts started creeping back into Riley's head.
"What if I come up short again?"
Instead of letting those thoughts win, he settled in.
An early hole-out on Rattlesnake gave him momentum, and he never looked back.
Winning that first World Championship was surreal. It validated years of work and proved he belonged among the very best.
Of course, some people put an asterisk beside it because former champions Whammy and SwiperSniper weren't in attendance.
That only fueled him.
When Incredible Technologies announced Worlds 6 would be held alongside Windy City Showdown, everyone knew this would be the strongest field ever assembled.
Players who couldn't normally travel to Las Vegas were now able to compete. Qualifying became incredibly difficult, and Riley was fortunate to secure his spot early.
Even qualifying didn't guarantee an easy path.
He opened against Chubby before immediately drawing Whammy on stream. An early hole-out helped him survive that match before he defeated ConchyB in the semifinals after one of the biggest saves of the tournament.
The King of the Hill match against FlyRy turned into an instant classic.
They battled into overtime before Riley finally won with a Sniper hole-out on the fourth sudden death hole.
FlyRy fought all the way back through the loser's bracket to earn another shot in the championship.
This time, though, Riley wasn't going to be denied.
He played a clean, steady round on Tundra and successfully defended his title.
Back-to-back World Champion.
He spent a lot of time watching replays from previous live events—both his own matches and those of players he expected to face.
The biggest lesson was to focus on his own game.
Mobile is very different from cabinet because pace can become part of the strategy. Slower players sometimes gain information from watching what their opponent has already done.
That can become a trap.
If you're too focused on your opponent, you stop playing your own game.
By Worlds 5 and Worlds 6, Riley kept his head down, played at his own pace, and trusted his decisions. He knew that if he did that, he'd be very difficult to beat.
We asked Riley what shifted for him to become so dominant in mobile. His answer was simple: “Learning to control my nerves.”
He spent a lot of time watching replays from previous live events—both his own matches and those of players he expected to face.
The biggest lesson was to focus on his own game.
The possibility of a double champ definitely came up in conversations once players knew Windy City and Mobile Worlds would be held together. Riley thought it could happen, but there were plenty of players capable of pulling it off.
For him, what made the weekend truly special wasn't just winning both championships.
It was having his mom there.
She's followed his Golden Tee career for years and always watched the livestreams from home. Getting to see him win in person was something they'll both remember forever.
Looking forward Riley hopes we can keep the World Championship going and continue holding it alongside Windy City Showdown.
The venue(Pyramids Sports Bar in Addison, IL) has been fantastic, and it allows so many more players to attend their first live event. The community has continued to grow, and there are a lot of talented players still waiting for their opportunity to compete on that stage.
Riley stated “We're already working on the next Windy City event, and I think it's going to be even better in 2027.”
