Smalley leads as McIlroy, Rahm, Rose and Rai impress on US PGA 'moving day'
TL;DR
Alex Smalley leads the US PGA Championship after the third round, with 30 players within five shots of him. Stars like Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm also impressed on a competitive 'moving day' at Aronimink.
Key points
- Alex Smalley leads the US PGA Championship at six under.
- 30 players are within five shots of the lead going into the final round.
- The PGA of America adjusted course setup for better playability.
Mentioned in this story
The third rounds of golf tournaments are commonly known as 'moving day', and Saturday at the US PGA Championship lived up to the billing as stars and lesser lights jostled for position on a crowded and fast-moving leaderboard.
Remarkably, 14 players held at least a share of the lead at some point and 30 will go into Sunday's final round within five shots of surprise leader Alex Smalley who is at six under after a two-under 68.
Over the first two days at Aronimink, with the more severe aspects of the course set-up generating much discussion, it felt more like the brutal examination usually reserved for the US Open.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy - the world's top two players - were among those to weigh in with less than complimentary observations, with the former going as far as describing some of Friday's pin positions as "absurd".
The PGA of America listened. The governing body moved some tees up and made several pins more accessible which, coupled with more benign conditions, has produced a classic major leaderboard that houses a mix of heavy hitters and less illustrious names.
Several big-time players capitalised on more favourable scoring conditions in the early stages.
McIlroy, who was outside the top 100 after a four-over opening 74 on Thursday, bettered Friday's 67 by one to improve to three under and boost his hopes of following last month's successful Masters defence with his third US PGA title.
Other major winners to vault up the leaderboard included Justin Rose, whose superb 65 left him at two under and revived his hopes of landing an elusive second major, and Jon Rahm, who is two off the lead after carding a 67 to maintain his push for the third leg of a career Grand Slam.
Rose isn't the only man trying to end a 107-year wait for an English winner of this championship, with Aaron Rai alongside Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Nick Taylor and Matti Schmid on four under.
Not everyone prospered. Scheffler, who shot a Saturday 65 on his way to winning last year's US PGA, surprisingly stuttered to a 71 and is five adrift.
More to follow.
Q&A
Who is leading the US PGA Championship after the third round?
Alex Smalley is leading the US PGA Championship after the third round with a score of six under.
What changes did the PGA of America make to the course setup?
The PGA of America moved some tees up and made several pin positions more accessible to improve playability.
Which top players performed well during the 'moving day' at the US PGA Championship?
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, and Shubhankar Sharma were among the players who impressed during the 'moving day'.
