Alex Smalley leads PGA Championship at six-under

Alex Smalley will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the PGA Championship after a 2-under 68 on Saturday left him at 6-under 204 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The 29-year-old American moved back in front with a 4-under back nine after a shaky start and is set to play in the final group on Sunday with Germany’s Matti Schmid. The leaderboard remained tightly packed late into the third round, with Golf Channel reporting that 21 players began Sunday within four shots of the lead — the most in PGA Championship history. Smalley is chasing his first PGA Tour victory as well as his first major title. NBC Sports said he is ranked 78th in the world and had never previously held a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. He is also the only player to post three under-par rounds through 54 holes at Aronimink, according to NBC Sports and Golfweek. (pgachampionship.com) ### How did Smalley get back in front on Saturday? Smalley shot 37 on the front nine before turning the round with birdies on the inward half, including three in his last four holes, the PGA Championship’s official site said. His round of 68 gave him a two-shot edge after a day in which the lead changed repeatedly and as many as seven players briefly shared the top spot, according to Associated Press-based reports. (nbcsports.com) “The wind was certainly up when we first started the round,” Smalley said after signing his card, according to the PGA Championship website. NBC Sports reported that Smalley said he tried to “regain my tempo and rhythm” after the difficult opening stretch and then played more conservatively as conditions remained demanding. (pgachampionship.com) ### Who is closest to him entering Sunday? Matti Schmid, Nick Taylor, Jon Rahm, Aaron Rai and Ludvig Aberg were tied for second at 4-under, two shots behind Smalley, according to CBS Sports’ round-three leaderboard and the PGA Championship’s official coverage. Rory McIlroy, Maverick McNealy, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed were among the players at 3-under, still within striking distance on a course that has kept scores compressed all week. (pgachampionship.com) Jon Rahm is the only previous major champion within two shots of the lead, Golf Channel reported. Rory McIlroy and defending PGA champion Xander Schauffele started Sunday three back, while Scottie Scheffler was among a larger group at 1-under. (cbssports.com) ### Why is the leaderboard so crowded? Aronimink Golf Club has kept players close together through three rounds. Associated Press reported after round two that the gap between first and last among players who made the cut was only eight shots, while Scottie Scheffler said the pin positions were the hardest he had seen “since I’ve been on tour.” (golfchannel.com) Golf Channel said the 21 players within four shots of Smalley set a PGA Championship record for the final round. Golfweek separately reported 22 players within four shots, suggesting some outlets counted the cutoff differently as scores settled late Saturday, but both accounts described an unusually compressed field entering Sunday. (pgatour.com) ### Who plays with whom in the final round? The PGA Tour’s official tee sheet lists Smalley and Schmid in the final pairing at 11:35 a.m. PDT, which is 2:35 p.m. EDT at Aronimink. Nick Taylor and Jon Rahm are scheduled one group ahead at 2:25 p.m. EDT, followed by Aaron Rai and Ludvig Aberg at 2:15 p.m. EDT, and Rory McIlroy with Xander Schauffele at 2:05 p.m. EDT. (golfchannel.com) Scottie Scheffler is paired with David Puig at 12:05 p.m. EDT, and Patrick Reed is set to go with Maverick McNealy at 1:55 p.m. EDT, according to the official pairings. Those groupings put several former major champions on the course in the final two hours before Smalley and Schmid tee off. (pgatour.com) ### What comes next on Sunday? Sunday, May 17, is the final round of the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink, the tournament website said. The last group of Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid is scheduled to start at 2:35 p.m. EDT, with Jon Rahm and Nick Taylor immediately ahead of them as the field plays for the Wanamaker Trophy. (pgachampionship.com) (pgatour.com)