Alex Smalley reacts after the third round of the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club, where he heads into Sunday just three shots off the lead.
Smalley explains how the wind picked up and the course became firmer, making tee-shot runouts, landing zones into greens and shots from the rough much harder to judge. He says playing from the fairway will be the key on Sunday, because it allows players to be more aggressive, while the rough forces them to play defense.
Despite a couple of costly mistakes on No. 7 and No. 11, Smalley says he was pleased to hang in and finish with six straight pars in difficult conditions.
He also reflects on his current run of form, with six straight top-25 finishes, saying golf feels like a roller coaster and that “good golf is fun golf.” Now three back, Smalley hopes to give the leaders something to think about down the stretch on Sunday.