Thirty players are within five shots of surprise leader Alex Smalley as Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm make big moves in the third round of the US PGA Championship.
BBC Sport NI senior journalistThe 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.
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.
However, the American, who said "I've never seen a leaderboard this bunched up" remains in with a shout.
"It's quite literally anybody's tournament," he said. A lot of guys have a chance. Somebody is going to have a great round, and I'm going to give myself my best shot at being the one.
"Major winners make big moves With little breeze and attack-ready pin positions, some of the game's premier talents seemingly arrived at Aronimink with a spring in their step. And, teeing off nearly four hours before the final group, Northern Ireland's McIlroy seized an opportunity to give the later starters something to ponder.
Starting at one over - five back of overnight leaders Smalley and Maverick McNealy - the back-to-back Masters champion hauled himself into a share of the lead at four under. He said his plan had been to get to five under "to make the leaders shoot under par to be ahead of me".
While he stumbled over the closing holes with a bogey at the 17th, he still has a realistic shot at becoming only the sixth man to win the first two majors of the year. Having been outside the top 100 after Thursday's opening round, a McIlroy win would mark the greatest major championship comeback after 18 holes. Steve Jones, who won the 1996 US Open after being tied 84th at the end of the first round, currently holds that record.
Two of McIlroy's Ryder Cup team-mates also entered the fray. Thirteen years removed from his US Open win at Merion - just six miles from Aronimink - Rose has suffered recent heartache in majors. He lost last year's Masters in a play-off to McIlroy and led this year's tournament with nine holes to play before faltering down the stretch.
However, in his lowest round with his new McLaren irons, the 45-year-old carded six birdies and a bogey to sit four back. Rahm is another European star chasing redemption. The Spaniard has not added to his two majors since joining LIV Golf before the 2024 season and chased down Scheffler at Quail Hollow last year before imploding over the final holes.
The 31-year-old - hoping to become Spain's first US PGA winner - missed a four-footer to drop a shot on the final hole but will still be widely regarded as the man to beat.
"That's probably the reason why the leaderboard is so bunched up and it's going to be such a good Sunday. "
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