Alex Smalley leads PGA at 6-under

Alex Smalley entered Sunday with the lead at the PGA Championship after a 2-under 68 in the third round left him at 6-under par at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The 29-year-old American was two shots clear of the field after 54 holes, according to the PGA Championship leaderboard and PGA TOUR coverage. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg and several other contenders remained close enough to overtake him in the final round. NBC Sports described the setup as one of the tightest on a major leaderboard entering Sunday afternoon. ### How large was Smalley’s lead entering Sunday? Alex Smalley stood at 6-under 204 after rounds of 67, 69 and 68, according to the official leaderboard. Ludvig Aberg, Aaron Rai, Jon Rahm and Matti Schmid were tied for second at 4-under, while Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele were part of the group another shot back. (nbcsports.com) Nine players were within three shots of Smalley, USA Today reported, underscoring how little separation Aronimink allowed through three rounds. The PGA TOUR’s round-three recap said 22 players were within four shots of the lead after Saturday. (cbssports.com) ### Who is chasing him most closely? Jon Rahm was in the penultimate stretch of contenders at 4-under and scheduled to play with Nick Taylor in one of the last groups on Sunday. Rory McIlroy, paired with Xander Schauffele, was one of the biggest names still in range, while Maverick McNealy also remained near the top after sharing the 36-hole lead with Smalley. (usatoday.com) Ludvig Aberg and Aaron Rai were also tied for second entering the final round, giving the closing stretch a mix of major champions, Ryder Cup players and golfers still seeking a first major title. Matti Schmid joined Smalley in the final pairing. ### How did Smalley get there on Saturday? Saturday’s round began unevenly for Alex Smalley before he recovered on the back nine, according to the Associated Press report carried by PGA TOUR. (pgatour.com) The report said he “kept his composure amid pure chaos” and finished with a 68 after falling off the top of the board early in the round. (cbssports.com) Friday’s second round had already shown Smalley’s ability to recover. The AP report from round two said he overcame three straight bogeys after the turn and closed with a birdie for a 69 to share the lead with McNealy at 4-under. (pgatour.com) ### Why was Aronimink keeping scores so close? Aronimink Golf Club had not allowed anyone to pull far away through three rounds, according to PGA TOUR coverage and NBC Sports. The course produced a compressed leaderboard in which even late starters outside the top five still had a realistic path into contention with one low round. (pgatour.com) The official event pages listed Aronimink as a par-70 layout measuring 7,394 yards for the championship. That setup helped keep scoring under control and left the tournament unsettled entering the last day. ### When were the final-round tee times? The PGA TOUR tee sheet listed Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid in the final pairing at 11:35 a.m. (pgatour.com) PDT, which is 2:35 p.m. ET, on Sunday, May 17. Jon Rahm and Nick Taylor were set to go at 11:25 a.m. PDT, and Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele at 11:05 a.m. PDT. The 2026 PGA Championship was scheduled for May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club, with the Wanamaker Trophy to be decided by the end of Sunday’s fourth round. (cbssports.com) Live scoring remained available on the official PGA Championship and PGA TOUR leaderboard pages as the final groups went out. (pgachampionship.com) (pgatour.com)