Newtown Square (United States) (AFP) – Unheralded American Alex Smalley teed off with a one-stroke lead in Sunday’s final round of the PGA Championship with a host of major winners trying to chase him down at Aronimink. Smalley, a 29-year-old American seeking his first PGA Tour victory, topped the leaderboard at six-under-par 204 in only his fifth major start, but 22 rivals, nine of them major winners, were within four shots.
Jon Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters champion, opened with a birdie to reach five-under, one off the lead. Rahm, on pace for a third consecutive LIV Golf season crown, could become the first Spaniard to lift the Wanamaker Trophy. Aaron Rai sank a four-foot birdie putt on the first hole to join him on five-under. Rai could be the first Englishman to win the event since Jim Barnes in 1916 and 1919.
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Justin Thomas, a two-time PGA Championship winner, made his sixth birdie of the day at 16 to close within one of Smalley. World number two Rory McIlroy, who won his sixth major title at last month’s Masters, birdied the second hole to reach four-under, joining Australian Cam Smith, who birdied two of the first four holes. Aronimink’s sloped greens in windy conditions kept leaders bunched for the first three days, but milder breezes helped produce lower scoring in the final round.
American Kurt Kitayama fired a bogey-free, seven-under par 63 to match the lowest final round in major golf history and grab the clubhouse lead on three-under 277. Kitayama started with three consecutive birdies and closed with a 12-foot birdie putt to fire the week’s low round. “I’m ecstatic,” Kitayama said. “It was pretty crazy just trying to hang in there on the back nine. I got off to a great start. Nice to have a round like that when it’s so bunched up.”
A pack on the course at three-under included England’s Justin Rose, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, and Americans Xander Schauffele, Maverick McNealy, Ben Griffin, and Chris Gotterup.
– ‘A good chance’ –
McIlroy shared 105th after the first round. No player worse than 84th after the first 18 holes has ever won a major title. The 37-year-old from Northern Ireland could become the first PGA Championship winner since Payne Stewart in 1989 to shoot 74 in the opening round. After his struggles Thursday, he spent hours on the driving range to sort out his woes off the tee. “I’ve climbed my way out of that hole a little bit,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I’ve still got a good chance.”
Not since Jordan Spieth in 2015 has a player won the first two majors in a year. Not since Jack Nicklaus in 1975 has a player won the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year. Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler was four off the pace after going one-under on the front nine. The winner takes home $3.69 million from a record purse of $20.5 million.
© 2024 AFP
