Thirty players are within 5 shots of the lead entering the final day
By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
With a tightly packed leaderboard with multiple major and current top-ten players in the field, drama and possibly carnage were on tap at Aronimink Golf Club. Justin Thomas was the first to break through, firing a 65 playing before the top-30 low players teed off.
The Drama
The leaderboard continued to squeeze the top of the field as Alex Smalley nursed a one-shot lead and six players were tied one stroke behind. Justin Thomas, Jon Hahm, Cam Smith Ludvig, Aberg, Nick Taylor and MatiSchmid were lurking one behind and and a group headlined by Rory McIlroy was two behind. The culprits are a combination of a penal rough and undulated greens with pin placements designed by Hannibal Lecter.
Leaderboard
The Champion
Aaron Rai would not go away. Fading down the stretch on Saturday, he had two birdies and a ninth-hole eagle to position him on the first page of the leaderboard; his birdie on 11 gave him a share of the lead. Minutes later, he took the lead after a Schmid bogey. Champions close and Rai shined from here. Four biridies on the back nine following the eagle including the 68 foot right to left breaker and the exclamation point clincher on 18 and you get the idea. Rai’s win gives him his first PGA Tour victory. The great putt and final hole are above.
The Contenders
Matti Schmid is not a name that jumps out at you when you think of a PGA Champion. Well, guys like Schmid win this tournament every couple of years. Plenty of no-names have won the PGA and Schmid, with a world ranking of 97, like Smalley is looking for his first PGA win. His birdie on 6 in combination of the Smalley double gave him a bird’s-eye view of a leader’s bout with trouble. His bogey on ten put him one back of Rai and stayed in the mix. Schmid could not get closer to Rai and was in the rough and ending up in sand traps.
Jon Rahm puts on a vallient performance
Rahm had a lot to overcome. He entered the day on the edge of the front page of the leaderboard, and had two bogeys along with two birdies over the first seven holes, but a wayward driver and several sand traps later, Rahm’s two under was not enough. A gritty performance by Rahm and a T-2 performance gives him satisfaction going into the US Open at Shinnicock next month.
Alex Smalley fades
Smalley came into the PGA looking for his first career win and wobbled for five holes before his round became undone on the 6th. His double took him from a tie for the lead into the pack. Smalley’s 17th hole eagle was a a huge hole but Rai pulled away. Smalley’s bogey on 18 let Alex know he is close, but has more work to do.
Justin Thomas had little hope of winning the 2026 PGA Championship, but he made the most of his chances, firing a five-under 65. Thomas started off with a bogey on the third and then had six birdies over the final 15 holes to finish one off the lead and a seat in the locker room scoreboard watching.
Stuck in Neutral
Scottie Scheffler never got untracked this week. The golf audience and patrons at Aronimink Golf Club never saw Scheffler unfurl his A-game. Plenty of missed opportunities throughout the week and his Saturday green woes, where he missed six putts inside ten feet, told the story.
They Said It… Justin Thomas
What’s Next
The 126th U.S. Open will take place June 18–21, 2026, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. It marks the sixth time the prestigious course in the Hamptons has hosted the major championship.
Players Whose First PGA Tour Title Came At The PGA Championship
1931 – Tom Creavy
- 1944 – Bob Hamilton
- 1953 – Will Burkemo
- 1957 – Lionel Herbert
- 1988 – Jeff Sluman
- 1991 – John Daly
- 2003 – Shaun Micheel
- 2010 – Martin Kaymer
Roy J. Akers covers PGA/LPGA Golf for www.skyviewsports.net
