Rory McIlroy Stays in Contention as US PGA Championship Enters Final Day
Rory McIlroy is currently three shots behind the leader at the US PGA Championship, with American golfer Alex Smalley taking a late lead. Smalley’s strong performance on the back nine saw him birdie four of the last six holes, moving him two shots clear of a tightly packed leaderboard at six under par. The final day promises to be a thrilling contest as players battle for the title.
A group of five golfers, including Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, and England’s Aaron Rai, are just two shots behind Smalley. In fact, 21 players are within four shots of the leader, creating an exciting scenario for the final round. McIlroy, who shot a superb four-under 66 on Saturday, made a strong comeback after a disappointing opening round of 74. His performance has put him firmly in the mix for the championship.
As McIlroy left the course, the leading groups were just beginning their final round, and he was hoping they wouldn’t extend their lead too much. Despite being a few shots behind, McIlroy remains a serious contender for the title.
Jon Rahm, who finished his media duties, took a look at the leaderboard and asked if anyone had seen anything like it. The first two days of the tournament were dominated by discussions about how challenging Aronimink Golf Club has been, but this difficulty has created an entertaining final-day showdown.
“It’s frustrating for us, but at the same time, it creates a hell of an entertaining championship,” McIlroy said. “If I wasn’t playing this tournament, I’d love what’s going on this week.”
Rahm added: “As hard as it is to play, the challenge can also be kind of fun if you do well. That’s probably the reason why the leaderboard is so bunched up and it’s going to be such a good Sunday tomorrow. So in that sense, showmanship-wise, they’ve done a great job.”
McIlroy was among several morning starters who produced low scores on Saturday. Justin Rose, Chris Kirk, and Kristoffer Reitan all shot 65, closing the gap to within two of the overnight leaders. Later starters Aaron Rai and Jon Rahm briefly moved ahead to five under par, but both bogeyed the 18th hole, finishing with excellent 67s.
Overnight co-leader Alex Smalley, making only his fifth major championship appearance, faced early challenges, recording three bogeys in his first four holes. However, he quickly bounced back with a strong performance. Smalley bogeyed the 17th, dropping back to five under par, but held his nerve to birdie the final hole and take sole possession of the lead.
World number one Scottie Scheffler struggled on Saturday, carding a one-over 71, which leaves him five shots behind the leader. “Going into tomorrow, it’s quite literally anybody’s tournament,” Scheffler said. “There’s a lot of guys that have a chance. Somebody is going to have a great round, and I’m going to make sure to do my best to give myself the best shot at being the one who has a great round.”
German golfer Matti Schmid and Canadian Nick Taylor matched the lowest round of the week with a 65, sitting two shots off the lead at four under par. Should any players finish tied at the conclusion of the final round, the winner will be decided by a three-hole aggregate score play-off.
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