PGA Tour Brunch | The PGA | 2026
Third Round Coverage of the 2026 PGA Championship
2026 PGA Championship | Third Round
NEWTOWN SQUARE - The first two rounds of the 108th PGA Championship challenged the field with overnight rain and wet conditions for the morning cycle of Thursday’s tournament opener and cold, blustery conditions for the Friday morning crew. In both cases, PGA of America pin placements made the course even tougher.
That second round of the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club concluded with Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy holding the co-lead at 4 under par after 36 holes.
The punitive rough, brutal morning winds, and what World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler described as “kind of absurd” pin locations kept the leaderboard exceptionally tight. Despite a tough three-bogey start, Smalley rebounded with a 69, while McNealy battled to shoot (67). A massive pack of heavy hitters remains firmly in the hunt, including Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Gotterup just one shot back at 3 under. Meanwhile, Scheffler ground out a 71 to join two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas and Cameron Young at 2 under, and Rory McIlroy fired a clean 67 to safely make the weekend at 1 over par.
A historic 58 players sit within six shots of the lead, creating the most crowded 36-hole leaderboard in tournament history. The difficult scoring conditions ultimately caused the cut line to settle at 4 over par, sending 73 players packing. There were moments of high drama late in the afternoon on the cut line loop. Former champion Justin Rose spectacularly kept his weekend hopes alive by chipping in for an eagle on his final hole to finish at 3 over, while Michael Kim holed a lengthy eagle putt on his final shot to safely clear the line at the exact same mark.
The stringent (+4) cut line claimed an incredibly distinguished group of elite players, headlined by Bryson DeChambeau, who missed his second consecutive major cut after finishing at 7 over despite a late flurry of three straight birdies. Joining him on the wrong side of the line was World No. 6 Tommy Fleetwood (+5), whose tournament unraveled after making only two birdies all week. Other top-tier stars who failed to advance included former major champions Viktor Hovland (+6), Wyndham Clark (+5), Keegan Bradley (+6), and Adam Scott (+8). Highly ranked contenders like Russell Henley (+5), Tyrrell Hatton (+6), and Max Homa (+12) also fell victim to Aronimink's relentless defense, making for a star-studded list of early exits.
2026 PGA Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes
T1 Alex Smalley -4 (69)
T1 Maverick McNealy (-4) (67)
T3 Hideki Matsuyama (-3) (67)
T3 Aldrich Potgieter (-3) (72)
T3 Chris Gotterup (-3) (65)
T3 Stephan Jaeger (-3) (70)
T3 Min Woo Lee (-3) (69)
T3 Max Greyserman (-3) (69)
Full Leaderboard (link)
The 2026 PGA Championship | Tournament Facts
TOURNAMENT DATES: 05/14/2026-05/17/2026
COURSE: Aronimink Golf Club
LOCATION: Newtown Square, PA USA
ARCHITECT: Donald J. Ross
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scottie Scheffler
FEDEXCUP POINTS/1ST: 750
OVERVIEW: (link)
PAST RESULTS: (link)
TEE TIMES: (link) - (7:45am to 2:40pm for Smalley & McNealy)
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup
TOURNAMENT SOCIAL MEDIA: @PGA #PGA
WEATHER: Temperatures at the starter’s tee time a low of 58 degrees but reaching 77 degrees by Noon. Sunny skies with diminished winds blowing at 4 mph. 72% humidity dropping to 34% by midday. Zero chance of rain today. A perfect day.
PGA Championship | How to Watch
May 16, 2026 - All Times Eastern Daylight
8:00am - 7:00pm: PGA Championship, Round 3 - ESPN+ Streaming
9:00am - 9:00pm: PGA Championship on Sirius XM Radio
10:00am - 1:00pm: PGA Championship. Round 3 - ESPN
1:00pm - 7:00pm: PGA Championship, Round 3 - CBS
7:00pm - 9:00pm: Live from the PGA Championship - Golf Channel
How to Watch: (In case of changes) - (link)
Note: The PGA of America, which owns and operates the PGA Championship, controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. PGA TOUR LIVE coverage will resume next week at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
PGA Championship | What They’re Saying
Smalley, McNealy Take Lead (PGATourCom)
Scheffler Calls Pin Placements “Hardest He’s Faced” (PGATourCom)
How to Watch: (PGATourCom)
CBS Sports HQ / Golf - (CBS Sports)
On This Day in Golf History
May 16, 1976 - Lee Trevino won in his home state of Texas for the first time in his illustrious career when he won the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth. Trevino, born in Dallas, made birdie on the 200-yard 16th to gain a stroke over runner-up Mike Morley. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putts
Golf Channel on Rory’s Second Round:
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