Updated May 16, 2026, 7:31 p.m. ET
The 2026 PGA Championship field has been cut to 82 players for the third round at Aronimink Golf Club.The PGA of America announced a record purse of $20.5 million for the tournament.The winner of the Wanamaker Trophy will also receive $3.69 million in prize money.CBS and ESPN are providing television and streaming coverage for the weekend rounds.
Moving Day at the 108th PGA Championship provided all kinds of exciting action, but it didn’t shake up the leaderboard like many thought it would.
Alex Smalley, who was tied for the lead after two rounds, still leads. This time, by himself. He stumbled out of the gate Saturday but bounced back with a blistering back nine to take a two-shot advantage into the final round as he seeks not only his first major title, but his first professional victory. He’ll have to fend off some of the biggest names in the sport to do so, with Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele all within striking distance.
Catch up on all the action with leaderboard updates, highlights, round recaps and more from Saturday’s third round of the 2026 PGA Championship.
Check tee times and keep tabs on every score carded at Aronimink with the 2026 PGA Championship live leaderboard. Here’s what it looked like at the top when play concluded Saturday:
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!PositionPlayerScoreThru1Alex Smalley-6FT2Jon Rahm-4FT2Ludvig Aberg-4FT2Aaron Rai-4FT2Matti Schmid-4FT2Nick Taylor-4FT7Rory McIlroy-3FT7Xander Schauffele-3FT7Patrick Reed-3FT7Maverick McNealy-3F Alex Smalley birdies 18th, takes two-shot lead
Alex Smalley will sleep on a two-shot lead tonight thanks to a birdie at the 18th to cap off a 2-under 68 in the third round of the PGA Championship. The 29-year-old from Duke grad bounced back from three early bogeys by making seven birdies in his final 11 holes. This marks the first time Smalley has held a 54-hole lead in his pro career, and one more solid round could make him a major champion. He’ll have to hold off some serious star power, though, including Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed, who are all within three strokes.
Hideki Matsuyama briefly pulled within two of the lead with this long eagle putt from off the green at the 16th, but he followed it up with a three-putt bogey at No. 17 to drop a shot.
Alex Smalley takes the solo lead late Saturday
Just when you thought the lights might be too bright for Alex Smalley… the 29-year-old Duke grad pours in fifth birdie in the last eight holes to get to 5 under and grab the solo lead late Saturday at Aronimink.
Alex Smalley regains share of the lead
Alex Smalley, who entered the day tied for the lead, struggled to start the third round, making three bogeys in his first four holes to drop out of contention. But just as he did Friday, he bounced back, and now he’s made three birdies in his last five holes to get back to 4 under and join a massive 7-way tie for the lead late Saturday.
Aaron Rai bogeys 18th, makes it 5-way tie for lead
Aaron Rai held the solo lead for a little over an hour, but a bogey at the 18th dropped him back to 4 under and into a 5-way tie for the lead with Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Nick Taylor and Matti Schmid.
Jon Rahm shoots 67 to join tie for clubhouse lead
Jon Rahm birdied No. 16 to briefly join Aaron Rai at the top, but then he missed a two-foot par putt on the 18th to drop back to 4 under. It was still a stellar day for the Spaniard, who will enter the final round in contention as he looks to capture his third major title.
Lots near the top, but not a record
Although a number of players are within striking distance of the top here at the PGA Championship, we’re not near the record for most players within a pair of shots of the lead entering the final round of a major. The record is 19, set during the 2001 Open Championship, which marked David Duval’s only major title victory. Meanwhile, the record for the PGA Championship is 11, and the mark was set in 1993 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. The winner of that event was Paul Azinger, who topped Greg Norman in a playoff.
Xander Schauffele on Sunday pins: ‘It’s tricky’
Xander Schauffele is 3 under after 54 holes at the PGA Championship, right in the thick of what will likely be a battle to the end. And after tricky pin placements for the first two days and easier locations on Saturday, where would he like to see them on Sunday?
“It’s tricky. I think tricky or quirky could be the correct word. I mean, man, some of those pin locations are pretty gnarly. I really hope they don’t put them there for the members on any day, because, whew, it’s a grind,” Schauffele said. “I think discipline was the biggest thing I could think of the first two days. I mean, you have a wedge in your hand, and you’re like I’ve got to hit this to 50 feet or 40 feet, or I can make a 6 or the quickest 5 ever.
“It’s very tricky, and I think that’s why you’re seeing the leaderboard so dense and so compact and everyone within striking distance, but, hey, I’m just here to compete, and I’m enjoying the challenge … The first two days presented something different. Today was a little bit easier with the pins. Tomorrow could be whatever they decide it to be. So I’m just here to compete and enjoying it so far.”
Aaron Rai takes the solo lead at the PGA Championship
Aaron Rai broke the tie with three straight birdies on holes 9-11 to get to 5 under and take the solo lead just before 4 p.m. ET Saturday.
On a day where it looked like we might see some separation on the leaderboard, the opposite has happened. As of 3:45 p.m. ET there was a 7-way tie for the lead between Ludvig Aberg, Chris Gotterup, Matti Schmid, Stephan Jaeger, Aaron Rai, Nick Taylor and Maverick McNealy. It’s truly anyone’s ballgame midway through Saturday’s third round.
Cameron Young 3-putts from 3 feet
This one is hard to watch. The reigning Players champion is struggling at Aronimink Saturday. He drops to 1 over for the day and is now four off the lead.
Xander Schauffele joins tie for clubhouse lead with 66
Just like Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele fired a 66 Saturday to vault himself up the leaderboard and into contention at Aronimink. The 2024 PGA Champion will be going for his second Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.
Justin Thomas moves into tie for lead with back-to-back birdies
Two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas has joined Jon Rahm and Maverick McNealy at 4 under thanks to a pair of birdies at Nos. 5 and 6.
Rory McIlroy shoots 66 Saturday at Aronimink
Rory McIlroy looked all out of sorts when he shot 74 in Thursday’s opening round. Since then, he’s looked absolutely dialed in. The back-to-back Masters champ fired a 4-under 66 Saturday to finish the day at 3 under for the tournament. He was just one shot off the lead when he signed his scorecard just after 3:10 p.m. ET.
Jon Rahm ties the lead
Don’t forget about Rahmbo. The Spaniard moves to 4 under and into a tie for the lead.
Final pairing tees off in third round of PGA Championship
The final pairing of Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley has teed off and we are fully underway in the third round of the PGA Championship. McNealy made par at No. 1 while Smalley bogeyed to join the massive pack of players at 3 under, one shot off the lead.
Justin Thomas throws dart, makes birdie
Justin Thomas has joined the party at 3 under thanks to this beauty of an approach shot that led to a birdie at No. 3.
Rory McIlroy drops back with bogey at 17
Rory McIlroy found his ball in a plugged lie in the bunker to the right of the par-3 17th, ultimately settling for bogey to drop back to 3 under.
Si Woo Kim holes sand shot at No. 5
Si Woo Kim dropped a shot with a bogey at the fourth but bounced right back with this nifty bunker shot at the par-3 fifth. He’s back within two of the lead.
Ludvig Aberg makes birdie to get back to 2 under
Ludvig Aberg began his day with a bogey at No. 2 but he bounced back with a birdie at the 4th to get to 2 under and within two shots of the lead once again. The young Swede is still looking for his breakthrough in a major championship.
Jon Rahm moves within 1 of the lead
Another heavy hitter has joined the party at 3 under. Jon Rahm made his second birdie of the day at the par-3 fifth to move within one shot of the lead as of 2:15 p.m. ET.
And just like that, Rory McIlroy has grabbed a share of the lead. McIlroy made his sixth birdie of the day at the 13th to get to 4 under and join a tie at the top with Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy, who have yet to tee off.
Scottie Scheffler gets his third round underway
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made par at the first to get his Moving Day started at the PGA Championship. He’s one of a host of superstars within stirking distance as Saturday’s third round continues.
Haotong Li sinks long bomb for birdie
Just a routine 78-foot birdie bomb from Haotong Li, who moves into red numbers at 1 under for the tournament.
Justin Rose fires 65 in third round at Aronimink
Justin Rose once again finds himself in contention at a major. The 45-year-old Englishman made six birdies en route to a 5-under 65 in Saturday’s third round and was just two shots off the lead when he signed his scorecard just after 1:30 p.m. ET. He would become the fifth-oldest major winner ever if he’s able to hoist the Wanamaker on Sunday.
Rory McIlroy surging Saturday at the PGA Championship
If you thought a first-round 74 would put the World No. 2 out of it, think again. Rory McIlroy, the back-to-back Masters champion, is making a hard charge Saturday. He’s 4 under through 11 holes and sits just one off the lead as of 1:30 p.m. ET.
Patrick Reed throws a dart from the fairway bunker
No issues from the fairway bunker here for P-Reed. He moves to 1 under.
Mikael Lindberg pulls off some bunker magic
Some sweet action on this bunker shot from the Swede.
Jon Rahm opens with birdie
Two-time major champ Jon Rahm began his day with a birdie at No. 1 to get to 2 under and just two shots off the lead as of 1:25 p.m. ET.
Justin Rose making Saturday run
Justin Rose has made six finishes inside the top 20 over the last eight years, a quiet consistency, but he needed an incredible chip on Friday to reach the weekend, holing out on the 18th hole for eagle. Rose certainly made the most of the opportunity, and he’s now at 6 under for the day on Saturday, and 3 under for the tournament, as of 12:35 p.m.
Fireworks early from Kim
Michael Kim is making his move. In case you missed it, he holed a bomb from just off the green at his final hole, the par-5 9th, for eagle to make the cut by one at 3 over. On Saturday, he stayed hot out of the gate. He birdied the first three holes and six of his first seven. He sprinkled in a bogey at 4, but he’s climbed into red figures at 2 under and up to T-9. Conditions are ideal for scoring and it looks as if the setup is more forgiving and we could see an influx of birdies.
Chris Kirk atop the board
The round of the day so far is being played by Chris Kirk. The 41-year-old from Atlanta, who doesn’t yet have a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this year, racked up five birdies on the front nine to vault onto the leaderboard. He’s added two more on the back nine − on No. 11 and No. 13 − to get within one stroke of the lead at 3 under for the tournament.
Stephan Jaeger did something special on Friday
It won’t be mistaken for Nick Faldo’s steely march around Muirfield in 1987, but Stephan Jaeger authored a statement Friday. Eighteen holes. Eighteen pars. Just a grind-it-out, bogey-free 70 that left him at 137 and firmly in the picture. Faldo, chasing Paul Azinger that summer at the Open Championship, famously plotted his way to victory with 18 pars in the final round, squeezing out a 71 to reach 5-under while Azinger slipped back. Jaeger, meanwhile, couldn’t recall ever stringing together 18 pars at this level.
“I’ll take the positives,” Jaeger said, pointing to the clean scorecard.
He started the day tied for third, just a shot off the lead, a position that transforms patience into potential. He tees off at 2:20 p.m.
Here are the third round hole locations
Course setup has been the story of the week so far and it may continue with what looks like some tricky hole locations for Saturday. Will it be a moving day or a hang on for dear life day? TBD.
Three groups to watch
The third round tee times deliver one heckuva sexy stretch from 10:50 a.m.-11:10 a.m. ET. Jordan and D.J. get things started and we’ll see if either of them can play as they did at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay when they finished 1-2. Then Rory and Brooks features 11 majors between them, the two players with the most in the post-Tiger era. And Xander and Rickie is none too shabby, either. Some good brunch time viewing before the leaders go off late.
Great-grandson of Wanamaker expected to be at Aronimink
On Sunday, when the Wanamaker Trophy is handed to the newest PGA champion, one of the name’s closest living connections is expected to be watching.
John Wanamaker — the great-grandson of Rodman Wanamaker — is planning to attend the final round of the 108th PGA Championship. It was Rodman Wanamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate and visionary patron of the sport, who offered unwavering support to the PGA of America in its earliest days. The organization’s first championship trophy, a grand, enduring symbol of golf’s highest level, bears his name.
PGA Championship purse announced
Only one player can go home with the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday but there’s still a lot of money to play for — a record purse of $20.5 million, the PGA of America announced on Saturday morning. The winner will take home $3.69 million. Just a decade ago, they were playing for $10 million. It’s a good time to be a competitor at Aronimink.
Where to watch 2026 PGA Championship TV, streaming
Here’s a look at the broadcast schedule for Saturday’s third round of the 2026 PGA Championship:
ESPN+: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. ETESPN: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ETCBS: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. ETCBS Sports HQ: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET
Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, is the host of the PGA for a second time. The Donald Ross-design opened in 1928 and was restored by Gil Hanse in 2016. The course features 180 bunkers and will play as a par 70 7,394 yards. It ranks fifth on the Golfweek’s Best private courses in Pennsylvania list.
Who’s in the field for the PGA? What about the LIV golfers?
The full field consists of 156 golfers, all professionals. It’s the only major without any amateurs. Among the 156 will be 11 players from LIV Golf, including Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.