Smalley Leads Aronimink as Rahm and Aberg Surge Into Contention Ahead of 2026 PGA Championship
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Smalley is the +480 favorite (risk $100 to win $480) in the 2026 PGA Championship odds heading into Sunday, followed by Rahm (+500), Aberg (+600) and McIlroy (+700). Before locking in any 2026 PGA Championship picks for Sunday, be sure to see the 2026 PGA Championship predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
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Yahoo SportsHere’s a look at how much is up for grabs this week at Aronimink. 2026 PGA Championship payouts
Bleacher ReportAlex 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.
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Rory McIlroy +700 Xander Schauffele +1200 Scottie Scheffler +1600 Aaron Rai +1800
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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.
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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.
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CBS SportsThe final round at Aronimink features a stacked leaderboard with many stars close to the lead
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Alex Smalley Cards Third Round in 60s 1 of 3Alex Smalley was the only golfer to shoot in the 60s for each of the first three rounds at Aronimink.
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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.
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Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg Surge Into Contention 2 of 3Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg are the two biggest names at the top of the leaderboard.
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An early run of birdies for either player could change the entire dynamic of the fourth round.
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A fast start is more important to Aberg because he's had a track record of blowing leads on Sunday of major tournaments.
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Golfers From Early Tee Times Benefited Most From Conditions 3 of 3The early tee times were the spots to be for low scores on Saturday.
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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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That means that whoever claims the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday afternoon at Aronimink Golf Club will also take home a $3.69 million check.
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CBS SportsA $3.7 million payday awaits whoever lifts the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday just outside Philadelphia
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Golfers at Aronimink Golf Club are competing this weekend for a tournament record total purse of $20.5 million, a $1.5 million increase from last year's $19 million pot.
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Scheffler is heading into Saturday at 2-under par after shooting a a 1-over 71 during Friday's second round.
3 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Bleacher Report PGA Championship Fourth Round Tee Times 1 of 3Notable Tee Times 10:55 a.m. ET: Justin Thomas, Aldrick Potgieter
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02 CBS Sports There are also a number of interesting pairings going out earlier in the day that will try to apply some pressure by the time the leaders are set to tee off. Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Gotterup will play together again on Sunday, as will Sam Burns and Brooks Koepka in what should be a comfortable pairing.
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03 Yahoo Sports Rory McIlroy earned a $4.5 million check for his win at Augusta National last month, which was part of a $22.5 million purse at the Masters. The U.S. Open was close behind with a $21.5 million purse last season, and the British Open was last at $17 million.
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Sources (3)
- bleacherreport
- yahoosports
- cbssports