When you see Alex Smalley on the golf course — either at the PGA Championship or just about any other PGA Tour tournament — his mother is probably not very far behind.
The 29-year-old opened the final round of the 2026 PGA Championship with a two-shot lead, looking to finish the final chapter on the biggest golf tournament of his life. He’ll do so and will continue to do so with his mother, Maria Smalley, watching intently from a short distance away.
Who Is Alex Smalley’s Mom?
Maria Smalley has become a PGA Tour staple, following her son around the Tour, taking meticulous notes as her son looks to carve out a professional career that rivals his sensational amateur run. He had a sensational career at Duke, which is, of course, where his mother attended college.
Smalley is particularly close to his mother, who has been heavily involved at every stage of his career. Maria used to caddie for her son, and as The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig wrote during the PGA Championship, “she is sometimes referred to as his ‘momager.'”
She also might as well be his statistician.
“At every event, on every hole, and over every shot, Maria notes down Smalley’s distance to the flag, his club selection, and the wind direction,” Herzig wrote. “All sorts of variables are logged if available — altitude, lie, slope.”
How Alex Smalley’s Mom Helps Him on PGA Tour
The PGA Tour actually profiled Maria back in 2023 when he made a push at the John Deere Classic.
“I do his business stuff, I do his stats,” she explained, per PGATour.com. “That’s what I do when I’m texting all the time on the course. It helps to keep me focused so my head’s not racing and I’m not just going crazy. Gives me something to do.
Maria caddied for her son all the way up until the 2021 Deere, when Don Donatello stepped in, and Maria went back to the “mom-ager” role.
For some, the devotion borders on comical (at best) sometimes. CBS interviewed Smalley following his third-round performance at Aronimink Golf Club, and as he sat with Amanda Balionis, Maria was 20 or 30 feet away, recording it all on her phone.
No Laying Up’s Tron Carter (Todd Schuster) mocked the behind-the-scenes moment captured by the PGA Championship with a tweet of his own: “They really went there!” He also was there to have some fun with Smalley’s entrance to the grounds ahead of the final round … with Maria to his right.
There is one particular story, though, that might leave some on the outside snickering. Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan wrote about Smalley, too, over the weekend. Talking to Duke head coach Jamie Green, Ryan relayed an eyebrow-raising recollection of the Smalleys.
Green also wondered about Smalley’s relationship with his family. Maria would often come from Raleigh before tournaments to pack his suitcase, and pre-cut fruit for him to eat,” Ryan wrote. “That first semester, Green would raise his eyebrow and think, ‘What is this?'”
Smalley has seemingly grown into his own, though, and his new caddie, Michael Burns, spoke glowingly of the Smalley clan.
“They’re a phenomenal family,” Burns told Ryan. “You know, if more families were like that around the country, this country would be a lot better off.”
Alex Smalley’s Mom Continues Unique Tradition at PGA Championship