Alex Smalley leads PGA Championship

Alex Smalley will take a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the PGA Championship after shooting a 2-under 68 on Saturday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He is 6-under for the tournament through 54 holes after a round that looked as if it might unravel early, then turned with a back-nine run. (pgachampionship.com) The shape of the leaderboard is the story as much as the name on top. Smalley is alone at 6-under, but five players are tied for second at 4-under: Jon Rahm, Aaron Rai, Nick Taylor, Matti Schmid and Ludvig Åberg. Four more players are at 3-under — Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed and Maverick McNealy — leaving a large group within range on the final day. NBC Sports said Round 4 begins with Smalley leading by two and the chase pack stacked immediately behind him. (sports.yahoo.com) Smalley’s Saturday was not a front-running cruise. The PGA Championship’s official recap said he opened with three bogeys in his first four holes and went out in 2-over 37 before recovering with a 4-under 31 on the back nine. That inward half included three birdies over his last four holes, and a birdie at 18 restored the two-shot cushion he will carry into the final round. (pgachampionship.com) Smalley told the PGA Championship website that the wind was stronger by the time he teed off than it had been for some of the early starters, and that the course became much harder to control from the fairway. He said a 14-foot par putt on the sixth hole helped settle him after the poor start. The official recap also noted that he has never previously held a 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour event. (pgachampionship.com) The congestion behind him is unusually deep. The PGA Championship’s official report said 22 players were within four shots of the lead after Round 3, while Sky Sports said 30 players were within five shots. That means Sunday is not just about whether Smalley can finish; it is also about whether one of the major champions just behind him can post a number early enough to force the final pairing to react. That last point is an inference from the leaderboard spread and tee-time order, not a direct quote. (pgachampionship.com) Several of the biggest names did exactly what contenders needed to do on Saturday. Yahoo Sports said McIlroy shot 66 to move within three, while Rahm reached 4-under and into the five-way tie for second. Sky Sports also listed Schauffele at 3-under and defending champion Scottie Scheffler at 1-under, five back after a second straight 71. (sports.yahoo.com) Sunday’s pairings underline how compressed the tournament has become. The PGA Tour and other round-four tee-time listings show Smalley and Schmid in the final group at 2:35 p.m. ET, with Rahm and Taylor one group ahead at 2:25 p.m. ET, and McIlroy paired with Schauffele at 2:05 p.m. ET. Those are the groups most likely to shape the last stretch at Aronimink. (pgatour.com) For readers coming to this cold, the simplest frame is this: Smalley has the lead, but not control. He is the only player under par in all three rounds, according to Global Golf Post, yet the leaderboard immediately behind him includes recent major winners and Ryder Cup-level players. The final round on Sunday, May 17, will decide whether Smalley converts his first 54-hole lead on tour into his first major title. (globalgolfpost.com)