Alex Smalley weathered an early collapse before surging back into the lead at the 2026 PGA Championship, setting up a packed final round leaderboard featuring big names like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Åberg, and Xander Schauffele.
Smalley closed Saturday at 6-under after a late birdie on the 18th hole at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The dramatic finish gave him a two-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round of the year’s second major championship.
The 36-hole co-leader looked to be falling out of contention after opening his third round with three bogeys over his first four holes. But Smalley responded with a strong back-nine charge to reclaim the solo lead.
The leaderboard remains crowded heading into Sunday, with 22 players sitting within four shots of the top spot.
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm Among Stars in the Hunt
McIlroy made one of the biggest moves of the day. After beginning Round 3 five shots off the pace, the World No. 2 fired a 4-under 66 to climb into a tie for seventh at 3-under overall.
Rahm, Aaron Rai, Nick Taylor, Matti Schmid, and Åberg all finished Saturday tied for second at 4-under. Schmid and Taylor both posted impressive 65s to jump into contention.
Schauffele also positioned himself for a Sunday run after carding a 66 to reach 3-under alongside McIlroy and Patrick Reed.
Meanwhile, defending champion Scottie Scheffler struggled to gain momentum. The World No. 1 finished the day at 1-under overall, five shots behind Smalley.
Here’s how the top of the leaderboard looked after Round 3:
1. Alex Smalley (-6)
T2. Aaron Rai (-4)
T2. Jon Rahm (-4)
T2. Matti Schmid (-4)
T2. Nick Taylor (-4)
T2. Ludvig Åberg (-4)
T7. Rory McIlroy (-3)
T7. Xander Schauffele (-3)
T7. Patrick Reed (-3)
T7. Maverick McNealy (-3)
The final pairing featuring Smalley and Rai is scheduled to tee off Sunday at 2:35 p.m. ET.
Alex Smalley Faces Pressure Despite PGA Championship Lead
Even with a two-shot advantage, Smalley is not viewed as a runaway favorite entering Sunday.
According to SportsLine’s predictive model, the PGA Tour pro is projected to finish outside the top five despite leading the tournament after three rounds.
The model cited Smalley’s lack of experience in major championship pressure situations as one factor working against him. Still, oddsmakers installed him as the betting favorite at +480 entering the final round.
Åberg and Rahm followed at +550, while McIlroy entered Sunday at +700.
Scheffler remained an intriguing longshot at +1600 despite beginning the day tied for 23rd. SportsLine’s model projected a strong bounce-back performance from the reigning champion.
“Scheffler leads the PGA this season with a fourth-round scoring average of 67.22,” the model noted.
Sunday’s updated betting odds included:
Alex Smalley +480
Ludvig Åberg +550
Jon Rahm +550
Rory McIlroy +700
Xander Schauffele +1200
Scottie Scheffler +1600
Aaron Rai +1800
Nick Taylor +1800
Patrick Reed +2200
PGA Championship Purse Reaches Record Number
The PGA of America increased the tournament purse by $1.5 million this year, bringing the total prize pool to a record $20.5 million.
Sunday’s winner will take home $3.69 million.
The runner-up will earn $2.214 million, while third place pays $1.394 million.
The increased purse continues a broader trend across golf’s major championships. Earlier this year, the Masters raised its purse to $22.5 million, with McIlroy collecting $4.5 million for his victory at Augusta National.
A total of 82 players made the cut at Aronimink this week. Golfers who missed the cut still received a $4,300 stipend.
Alex Smalley Leads PGA Championship Leaderboard as McIlroy, Rahm, & Schauffele Remain In the Hunt