Alex Smalley takes two-shot lead after Round 3 at PGA Championship

Alex Smalley will start Sunday with the lead at the PGA Championship after a third-round 68 left him at six-under 204 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 16. The 29-year-old American moved clear by two shots in a tournament that remained tightly packed through 54 holes. Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Nick Taylor, Aaron Rai and Matti Schmid were tied for second at four-under, while Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed were another shot back at three-under. (pgachampionship.com) Smalley’s position is notable because he has not won on the PGA Tour and is playing only his fifth major, according to NBC Sports and the PGA Championship’s account of Saturday’s round. (pgachampionship.com) He was also the only player in the field to post all three rounds under par through Saturday, NBC Sports reported. ### How did Smalley get back in front after a rough start? Smalley opened his third round with four bogeys in his first eight holes before turning the day around on the back nine. The PGA Championship said he played the inward nine in four-under 31, including three birdies over his last four holes, to salvage a two-under 68. (pgachampionship.com) “The wind was certainly up when we first started the round,” Smalley said, according to the PGA Championship. He said the course became “very difficult to hit a fairway, hit a green, even make a three- or four-footer,” and that he tried to regain his tempo and play smart after the early mistakes. (nbcsports.com) ### How crowded is the chase behind him? Five players were tied for second at four-under 206 after 54 holes: Rahm, Aberg, Taylor, Rai and Schmid. Three more major champions — McIlroy, Schauffele and Reed — were one shot further back at three-under 207. (pgachampionship.com) The Associated Press, carried on PGA Tour’s site, said 14 players held at least a share of the lead at some point on Saturday and that 28 players were separated by two shots midway through the round. If the five-way tie for the lead had held through 54 holes, it would have been the largest such logjam at a major since the 1933 Open, the report said. (pgachampionship.com) ### What did the other contenders say after Round 3? Rahm shot a three-under 67 and said he was “thrilled to be in a good position for tomorrow,” according to the Associated Press report published by PGA Tour. (pgatour.com) McIlroy, who began the day five shots back, posted a four-under 66 and said, “I feel like I still did enough to think I have a chance going into tomorrow.” Scheffler, the defending champion, finished with a 71 and stayed within three shots despite missing six putts inside 10 feet, four of them for birdie, the same report said. “Going into tomorrow, it’s quite literally anybody’s tournament,” Scheffler said. (pgatour.com) ### Why is Smalley’s position drawing so much attention? Smalley entered the week without a PGA Tour victory and without a major title, while several of the players around him have won majors or contended regularly in them. NBC Sports said Smalley is ranked 78th in the world and had posted top-20 finishes in each of his last four starts entering the weekend. (pgatour.com) Smalley said the spotlight has become more familiar in recent weeks because of that run of results. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play well the last few weeks to where that’s starting to become a norm,” he said, according to NBC Sports. (pgatour.com) ### Who plays with whom on Sunday at Aronimink? The PGA Championship said Smalley will take his two-shot lead into the final round on Sunday, May 17, at Aronimink Golf Club. The official starting-times release listed Smalley in the final pairing with Schmid. (nbcsports.com) Official tournament coverage is scheduled across ESPN, CBS, ESPN+, CBS Sports HQ and Golf Channel, according to the PGA Championship’s viewing guide for the week. Sunday’s final round will decide whether Smalley can convert his first 54-hole lead in a major into the Wanamaker Trophy. (pgachampionship.com 1) (pgachampionship.com 2) (nbcsports.com)