PGA Championship Leaderboard 2026 Review of Top Scorecards and Player Stats on Day 3
Alex Smalley is the 54-hole leader of the 2026 PGA Championship.
Smalley, a 29-year-old American who has never finished above 23rd at a major, carded three rounds in the 60s at Aronimink Golf Club to own a two-shot advantage over a litany of big names in the top 20.
Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg are among the group of five golfers two shots back at four-under.
Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed are part of the conglomerate sitting at three-under.
Aronimink yielded plenty of low scores early in Saturday's third round, which allowed Rahm, McIlroy and others to surge up the leaderboard, but it toughened up in the afternoon to keep the leaderboard as tight as possible.
Alex Smalley Cards Third Round in 60s
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Alex Smalley was the only golfer to shoot in the 60s for each of the first three rounds at Aronimink.
Smalley's third-round 68 didn't come from an easy trip around the golf course, though, as he struggled on the first few holes.
The 29-year-old bogeyed the first, second and fourth holes. He needed a huge rally on the back nine to move back to the top of the leaderboard.
Smalley rolled in five birdies on the back nine and produced a birdie on the ninth hole to move up to six-under for the tournament.
Saturday's rough start is concerning for Smalley's winning potential on Sunday. He'll face the pressure of leading a major on Sunday for the first time and a bad start could unravel him to a point where he can't recover.
Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg Surge Into Contention
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Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg are the two biggest names at the top of the leaderboard.
Rahm shot a three-under 67 that featured five birdies, two bogeys and 11 pars to move up to four-under for the tournament.
Aberg used a two-under 68 to move level with Rahm and three others at four-under.
Similar to Rahm, Aberg had three birdies and two bogeys. A majority of his round featured pars. He took advantage of certain holes when the opportunity was presented to him.
An early run of birdies for either player could change the entire dynamic of the fourth round.
A fast start is more important to Aberg because he's had a track record of blowing leads on Sunday of major tournaments.
A quick boost of confidence might do wonders for Aberg in the hunt for his first major crown.
Golfers From Early Tee Times Benefited Most From Conditions
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The early tee times were the spots to be for low scores on Saturday.
Countless golfers took advantage of the easier conditions to make an already congested leaderboard even more crowded.
Matti Schmid and Nick Taylor, who are tied with Rahm and Aberg at four-under, tied for the low score of the round with three others at 65.
Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele were part of the group that shot 66. The low rounds allowed both major champions to move into the collection of players at three-under.
The windier conditions later in the day challenged plenty of players, including co-36-hole leader Maverick McNealy, who shot one-over.
Justin Thomas was one of the more extreme examples of how conditions hurt his round. He was in a tie for the lead at four-under on the front nine and then catapulted down the leaderboard to even-par for the tournament with a two-over 72.
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