Alex Smalley leads the way into final round at Aronimink

Alex Smalley produced a brilliant, gutsy performance to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the US PGA Championship.

The American entered the third round in a share of the lead but on a day when 14 players would sit atop the leaderboard at some point, he bogeyed three of his first four holes to fall back.

As a player without a professional win, the World Number 78 could have possibly been forgiven for staying in the pack but to his immense credit he fought back at Aronimink Golf Club.

After turning in 37, he came home in 31 and a 14-footer on the last handed him a 68 and a six under total.

There was then a five-strong group at four under, made up of two-time Major champion Jon Rahm, Ryder Cup star Ludvig Åberg, two-time Rolex Series winner Aaron Rai, German Matti Schmid and Canadian Nick Taylor.

Two-time reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World leader Patrick Reed, 2024 US PGA champion Xander Schauffele and another American in Maverick McNealy were at three under with 30 players within five shots of the lead.

Smalley has missed just one cut so far in the 2026 season and arrives in Pennsylvania off the back of four consecutive top 20s.

After those three bogeys, he looked to be in serious trouble but as has been the case all week, nobody was able to pull away and the door was left open.

He stopped the rot on the seventh and while he dropped a shot on the eighth, gains on the ninth, tenth, 13th, 15th and 16th put him in control.

He dropped a shot on the 17th but that excellent birdie on the last saw him stamp his authority once more.

"It's a difficult golf course," he said. "Conditions are tough. It's been windy the last few days. Greens were a little firmer today. I anticipate it's going to be that way tomorrow, too, just because of the forecast. It's going to be hot. It's going to be sunny. There's not going to be a whole lot of moisture on the golf course, I would imagine.

"Any time you can shoot under par on a golf course of this calibre, under these conditions, I think anybody would take that. So I'm hoping to put up another under-par score tomorrow. I recognise that it will be difficult because the golf course is playing difficult. The hole locations are probably going to be difficult as well.

"We'll just add them up at the end of the day tomorrow and see where that takes me."

For Schmid and Taylor, who both cared rounds of 65, a win would also represent a new chapter, although Taylor already has five PGA TOUR titles.

Rahm is looking to become the first Spanish winner of this event and he carded five birdies and two bogeys on Saturday, while Åberg made four birdies and two bogeys in a 68.

Rai was among the leaders after six birdies and two bogeys but he dropped a shot on the last before Smalley's big finish.

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