Alex Smalley recovered from bogeys in four of the opening nine holes to finish two under for the day, surging to a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the US PGA Championship. The 29-year-old from North Carolina, who has never won a professional golf tournament, sits at six under par after a round of 68.
Congested Leaderboard
The leaderboard was a whirlwind of changes at Aronimink on Saturday, with numerous players taking turns at the top. When the dust settled, Smalley emerged as the solo leader, two shots clear of a five-way tie for second place. The group includes Jon Rahm, England's Aaron Rai, and others at four under par. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Reed are just one shot further back at three under.
In total, 21 players are within four shots of the lead, including eight major champions. Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Cameron Smith, and Hideki Matsuyama are among those at two under. Even Scottie Scheffler, despite a cold putter, remains in contention at one under, five shots off the pace.
Unprecedented Bunched Field
Scottie Scheffler remarked, "I've never seen a leaderboard this bunched up. It's quite literally anybody's tournament." The congestion was so intense that many players stopped checking leaderboards. Canada's Nick Taylor, also at four under, said, "It's so bunched it was kind of pointless."
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 break clear. This avoided a record six-way tie for the lead going into a major final day, which would have surpassed the five-way tie at the 1933 Open at St Andrews.
Smalley's Resilience
Smalley admitted, "I don't like being in the spotlight a whole lot. I'm still trying to get used to playing in front of large groups." However, he showed remarkable resilience on Saturday, recovering from four bogeys in his first eight holes by playing the next 10 in five under par.
Contenders Lurk
Jon Rahm, who has rediscovered his major form, is among the closest challengers. Rory McIlroy, after a poor opening round, fought back into contention with a 66 on Saturday. "I've climbed my way out of that hole and I'm proud of myself for doing that," McIlroy 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."
Aaron Rai, at 31, has a chance to end over 100 years of English drought in this tournament, but he stumbled on the 18th hole, finding rough and bunkers. The field remains tightly packed, promising an exciting final round.
Course Setup and Criticism
After criticism from McIlroy and Scheffler about difficult pin positions in the first two rounds, the tournament committee set up the course more generously on Saturday. McIlroy had called the pins "not great," and Scheffler described them as "absurd." However, with a shift in wind and softer greens, scoring improved.
McIlroy noted, "When you have a set of greens like this, you can start to frustrate people pretty easily. But at the same time, it creates a hell of an entertaining championship."
Xander Schauffele summed up the situation: "It is going to be an absolute free-for-all." With so many players in contention, Sunday promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the US PGA Championship.
