Alex Smalley recovered from bogeys in four of the opening nine holes to finish two under for the day, taking a two-shot lead into the final round of the US PGA Championship at Aronimink. The 29-year-old from North Carolina, who has never won a professional tournament, sits at six under par, two strokes clear of a five-way tie for second.
Congested Leaderboard
The leaderboard was spinning like a tombola on Saturday, with nearly every player having a birdie putt to share the lead and then a bogey putt to let go. When the drum stopped, Smalley emerged on top. However, 21 players are within four shots of the lead, including eight major champions. Jon Rahm, who has rediscovered his major touch, is in the group at four under, while Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Reed are one further back at three under. Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Cameron Smith, and Hideki Matsuyama are grouped at two under, and Scottie Scheffler, despite a cold putter, is five shots back.
“I’ve never seen a leaderboard this bunched up,” Scheffler said. “It’s quite literally anybody’s tournament.”
Smalley’s Resilience
Smalley, playing in the final pair with Maverick McNealy, was part of a six-way tie for first until he birdied the par-five 16th to pull clear. This is the first time he has held the 54-hole lead in a professional event. “I don’t like being in the spotlight a whole lot,” he admitted. He looked out of it after four bogeys in his first eight holes but played the next 10 in five under.
England’s Aaron Rai is among the five players tied for second, despite a poor finish on the 18th. It has been over 100 years since an Englishman won this tournament, and Rai has a chance to break the jinx.
Course Conditions
The tournament, criticised for its difficulty, may end in an extraordinary Sunday. The sun was out and the wind shifted, making some greens reachable. After complaints from McIlroy and Scheffler about pin positions, the committee was more generous with the setup. McIlroy, who shot 66, said, “When you have a set of greens like this, you can start to frustrate people pretty easily. But it creates a hell of an entertaining championship.”
McIlroy climbed from tied 105th after the first round to contention. “I’ve climbed my way out of that hole and I’m proud of myself,” he said. “There’s one more day left, and I feel like I’m close enough to the lead that I’ve still got a good chance.”
Xander Schauffele summed it up: “It is going to be an absolute free-for-all.”
