Why This PGA Championship Sunday Might Be the Greatest We Have Ever Seen 

After 54 holes at the PGA Championship, we have something that has never happened before in the history of this championship. 22 players enter the final round within four shots of the lead. Twenty-two. The most in PGA Championship history. One of the most chaotic, wide open, impossible to predict major championship Sundays any of us have ever seen is set up and ready to go outside Philadelphia.

Alex Smalley leads by two at six under par. A player with no PGA Tour wins, three previous PGA Championship appearances, and a best finish of T23. A Duke environmental science graduate whose parents have caddied for him throughout his career. If Alex Smalley walks out of Aronimink on Sunday evening with the Wanamaker Trophy it will go down as one of the greatest upsets in the history of professional golf. History says a two-shot leader wins about 40% of the time. That means 60% of the time — someone else does.

And look at who that someone else could be.

Jon Rahm is at four under par — two back. This is the first time Rahm has genuinely contended in a major since he left for LIV. The man Justin Ray once called John Rahm Destroyer of Worlds — the player who won the 2021 US Open and the 2023 Masters, who was as dominant as anyone on the PGA Tour before he left — is right back there. His competitive fire is burning again at exactly the moment his tour's future is most uncertain.

Rory McIlroy is three back. He opened with a 74. He followed it with a 67 and a 66. If he wins on Sunday it will be his seventh major. That puts him in extraordinarily exclusive company. He already has 30 PGA Tour wins and six majors. A seventh major at a course where he has played beautifully all week would be something to talk about for a long time.

Xander Schauffele is three back. He won the PGA Championship two years ago at Valhalla. He won the Open Championship the same year. He knows how to close. Patrick Reed is three back — 68-72-67, steady as the entire week, earning his way back the hard way after LIV. Maverick McNealy is three back — his putter is his best weapon and the greens at Aronimink have rewarded good putting all week.

Then there is Justin Rose. Made the cut on the number. Shot a 65 in round three. He is four back. He has a win and a second place finish in previous PGA Tour events at Aronimink. His only major was the 2013 US Open — played at Merion, just a few miles down the road from where they are playing this week. If Justin Rose wins the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday he becomes the king of Philadelphia.

Chris Gotterup — one of Trey's picks heading into the week — is at two under, four back. A Jersey kid completely comfortable in these conditions. Hideki Matsuyama is there. Ludvig Åberg is there. Cameron Smith — who has barely been heard from in a major since winning the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2022 — is right there at two under. Scottie Scheffler, the number one player in the world, is at one under par. Five back. Trying to win back to back PGA Championships. Brooks Koepka has won three of these things. He is one under as well.

The weather is going to be brutal. Temperatures approaching 90 degrees outside Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon. Those greens that played firm and fast all week are going to get crispier as the day goes on. The PGA Championship has historically been a birdie fest. Aronimink played like a US Open for the first two days. Sunday could be both — birdies early, survival late.

One of these 22 players walks out with the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday evening. We have absolutely no idea which one. And that is exactly why you cannot miss a single shot.

Clear your Sunday.

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