The US PGA Championship is finely poised as it heads into its final round. Alex Smalley leads the way, holding a two-shot advantage over a tightly packed field.
Smalley Secures Lead Despite Tricky Start
Alex Smalley will take a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. Five players – Matti Schmid, Nick Taylor, Jon Rahm, Aaron Rai and Ludvig Åberg – are leading the chase. It marks the first 54-hole lead of Smalley’s career in his 141st start on the PGA Tour. Smalley spoke to Sky Sports after his round: “Obviously it wasn’t the start I had foreseen for myself today. I had trouble on one, two and three yesterday and had trouble again today.”
Smalley added, “It was a difficult start for sure but I made a nice par on six to kind of settle myself and hit a good wedge shot on seven. With a start like that it is easy for things to go south but I just tried to hang in there.”
He also acknowledged the pressure of the situation. “It will be difficult to ignore a lot of things. I feel like I have done a pretty good job in the first three days of sticking to my business and trying to treat it like any other golftournament. My dad flew up this morning, so it is nice to have him with me.” Smalley concluded, “I have been in a final group before but not on a stage like this. It is a wide open golf tournament.”
Åberg and Scheffler Reflect on Close Leaderboard
Ludvig Åberg commented on the congested nature of the leaderboard. “I mean, my PGA Tour career isn’t necessarily very long at this point, but I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Åberg continued, “It’s very tight. I think there’s a lot of good players within striking distance going into tomorrow, and it’s a cool thing, I think, for the viewers. I think it’s cool to see that many guys have a chance to win a tournament.” He also spoke about the significance of the tournament. “There’s no denying that these tournaments are the big ones. These are the ones that we all want to win.”
Scottie Scheffler echoed Åberg’s sentiment. “I’ve never seen anything like this. When we were out there, I think it’s just the nature of a lot of different things, but yeah, I’ve never seen a leaderboard like this, this bunched up.”
According to Scheffler, “Going into tomorrow, it’s quite literally anybody’s tournament. There’s a lot of guys that have a chance. Going into tomorrow, just somebody is going to have a great round, and I’m going to make sure to do my be”
Looking Ahead to the Final Round
Ludvig Åberg is relishing the challenge that Sunday will bring. “I think going into tomorrow, it’s just a really good opportunity for me. Obviously with a lot of guys within just a few shots, a lot of things can happen. Whoever’s going to win tomorrow needs to hit golf shots all the way in. That’s just the way it’s going to be. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
Matthew Gault’s assessment of the day’s play is available to read. The US PGA Championship will conclude on Sunday at 18:00 BST.