Get the Signature Scroll – and the rest of PGA TOUR's newsletters, including The Connect, Wire to Wire and The Early Card – directly in your inbox. Subscribe today!

Who is going to win this golf tournament? I’ve got no clue …

'Literally anybody's tournament'

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – This PGA Championship is unlike few we’ve ever seen. Alex Smalley created some separation late, but the bunched nature of this leaderboard has everyone flummoxed.

As Jon Rahm left his post-round interview on Saturday, he glanced up at the large electronic leaderboard behind him. It stopped him in his tracks. At that point, there was a seven-way tie for first, of which he was among, with another two dozen within two strokes.

Later, when Scottie Scheffler spoke after his round, he reiterated a similar point: “I've never seen anything like this.” And as Rory McIlroy acknowledged earlier in the day, that might be maddening for the competitors, who will have little idea how Sunday will go, but it is heaven on earth for everyone who gets to watch.

"It's quite literally anybody's tournament," Scheffler said.

Folks, we've got a doozy of a Sunday on our hands. In total, there are 30 players within five strokes of the lead. There are endless machinations of how this could go, so I’m not going to bother predicting. Instead, I’m going to throw the contenders in a few tiers.

• The Rightful Leader:Alex Smalley gained a lot of respect for how he closed out his Saturday round. He began the day with three bogeys in four holes. The moment looked bright for him, and it seemed he would join the long, forgotten list of early week surprises that fade when the pressure ratchets. Instead, he played his last 10 holes in 5-under, including three birdies in the final five holes, to take the lead.
• The Lurking Stars: It’s hard to have a better collection of chasers trying to hunt down the unproven leader. It would be no surprise to see any of Rahm (4-under), McIlroy (3-under), Xander Schauffele (3-under) or Scheffler (1-under) emerge victorious. In fact, if you gave me this group of players or the field heading into tomorrow, I’m probably taking this group.
• The “It’s Time-rs”: This is for Ludvig Åberg (4-under), Chris Gotterup (2-under), Justin Rose (2-under) and Patrick Reed (3-under). Åberg and Gotterup are searching for major No. 1 and have a great opportunity to grab it while playing at the peak of their powers. Major contention windows are smaller than they may seem, so both youngsters must push for it on Sunday. You never know how many chances you’ll get. You don’t need to tell Rose that. He’s had plenty of chances, but as each one comes, it becomes harder to visualize the next. His career warrants more than one major. Reed is a similar story. He has more years ahead, but he knows how tenuous the sport can be.
• Unknown Unknowns: This is a large swath of the field. The players searching for their first major who have very little experience in this moment. I’d run out of space to write them all, so here are the closest ones to the lead: Nick Taylor (5-under), Matti Schmid (5-under), Aaron Rai (4-under), Maverick McNealy (3-under), Kristoffer Reitan (2-under) and Chris Kirk (2-under). I’d be surprised if the winner came from this group, but this tournament has been full of surprises.

Playing through

• 📜 We’re writing live updates as the play is happening. Catch up on Round 3 here, and tune in today for Sunday's edition.
• 🥊 'I have a chance': Rory McIlroy vindicated as he soars into contention.
• 😅 Who has the most at stake in Sunday’s final round?

Scheffler’s demons return

Watching Scottie Scheffler's third round at Aronimink felt a lot like watching the bulk of Scheffler’s golf in the latter half of 2023. Scheffler hit glorious iron shots on repeat, setting himself up for prime scoring chances left and right, only for his putts to miss left, right, short and long. Really, anywhere but in the hole.

In totality, this was Scheffler’s worst round of putting in nearly a year, losing 2.26 strokes to the field. That ranked 73rd of 82 golfers on Saturday. His only round worse than today's was the second round of the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge (lost 2.92 strokes).

“Hit a lot of good putts that are kind of right around the edge. It's kind of like a little bit of a dice roll at times when you have so much slope and so much wind,” Scheffler said. “So my thoughts on today is, if I continue to do what I'm doing and hole a few more putts, then I think I'll be in a good spot when tomorrow ends.”

The bunched leaderboard helps Scheffler to that end. He’s five back of Smalley and three back of second. But it also further highlights how unfortunate his putting performance was. Had he putted just to field average, he could have been 4-under. It’s also worth noting that this is more than just a one-day blip. He lost strokes on Friday, too.

Aronimink’s greens are its biggest defense and it's flummoxing the best player in the world right now.

Parting shots

• 😞 If you weren’t under par on Saturday, you were moving backward, and that was the case for several notable players. The most disappointing among them: Cameron Young. He began the day 2-under, having played from the tougher side of the draw through 36 holes. This was a golden opportunity to win a major while sporting the best form of your life. After Saturday, a 2-over round, he likely squandered it.
• 💥 Would just like to take a moment to appreciate Rory McIlroy's drive at the sixth. I was just right of him, and it had to be one of the biggest lashes I've ever seen him make. All the volunteers thought he had missed the way left. Nope. He was just aiming for (and hit) the green.
• 😮 In 11 of the last 14 PGA Championships, the champion came out of the final group on Sunday. So I would like to pre-congratulate Smalley and Schmid. Surely nothing will go wrong?
• 🟧 Notable iron performance from Justin Rose, who went out early and posted a number. The early returns with his new McLaren Golf clubs have been poor, but Saturday was a vindicating day. Rose gained 3.33 strokes on approach, fourth-best in the field. Now he has another chance at grabbing major No. 2.
• ☘️ Respect to Padraig Harrington, who continues to compete even as his body fights against him. He rolled his ankle midway through Saturday’s round, yet still posted a 67. Oh, and he said his playing partner, Kristoffer Reitan, admitted to watching Harrington’s YouTube videos.
• 🤓 Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for these types of stats. On Saturday, Sam Stevens was dead last in SG: Off-the-Tee and first in Approach.
• 🇨🇦 Nick Taylor might have five TOUR wins, but he has only two top-30s in majors. A lot on the line for him tomorrow.