The 108th PGA Championship is delivering one of the most chaotic and thrilling final rounds in major championship history. At Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Aaron Rai has surged to a two-stroke lead on the back nine, chased by Jon Rahm, Matti Schmid, and a packed leaderboard that continues to shift by the hole.
Where Is the PGA Championship Being Played and How to Watch
The 2026 PGA Championship is being held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The final round airs live from 1–7 p.m. ET on CBS, CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app, and Paramount+. The total prize purse for the event stands at $20.5 million.
Alex Smalley Struggles Early, Aaron Rai Takes Over the PGA Leaderboard
Alex Smalley, the 29-year-old from Rochester, New York, entered Sunday with a two-stroke solo lead at 6-under despite never having won on the PGA Tour. He is ranked 78th in the world and has never finished better than T23 at a major.
After six holes on Sunday, Smalley crumbled with a double bogey, allowing Matti Schmid to step in and take the lead. The shift was dramatic — Schmid birdied the 6th as Smalley doubled, creating a two-shot swing in the blink of an eye.
Aaron Rai then grabbed the solo lead on the back nine, reaching 7-under — two clear of the chasing pack. The Englishman, whose wife Gaurika Bishnoi is also a professional golfer, is now on the cusp of his first major title.
PGA Leaderboard Today: Live Scores and Key Contenders
Justin Thomas is in the clubhouse after shooting a 5-under 65, sitting at 5-under for the tournament. Jon Rahm birdied the first two holes on Sunday and is in active pursuit of what would be his third major title. Ludvig Åberg, Aaron Rai, Justin Thomas, and Jon Rahm were all grouped at 5-under at various points on the front nine before Rai pulled away.
Matti Schmid reduced Rai's lead to one with a birdie at the 13th, keeping the pressure alive as the final group moved through the back nine. Rory McIlroy remains in the hunt at 4-under but found a bunker on 16, making his path more difficult.
Kurt Kitayama fired the round of the tournament, a 7-under 63 in the morning wave, tying the lowest final-round score in major championship history.
Maverick McNealy, Ludvig Åberg and the Rest of the Stacked PGA 2026 Leaderboard
Entering the final round, six different countries were represented among the top contenders: Alex Smalley (United States), Matti Schmid (Germany), Nick Taylor (Canada), Jon Rahm (Spain), Aaron Rai (England), and Ludvig Åberg (Sweden).
Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Maverick McNealy all began the day at 3-under, just three shots back. Scottie Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Smith, and Joaquin Niemann were all in striking distance as well.
Alex Smalley and the Historic Aronimink Setup
The leaderboard entering Sunday featured 22 players within four shots of the lead — a record-breaking number of contenders at a major. Among those were players with vastly different résumés: Smalley had never led a PGA Tour event after 54 holes, while his final-round playing partner Matti Schmid was competing in just his fourth major.
Aronimink proved to be a masterpiece of setup all week. Sixteen players held at least a share of the lead during Saturday's third round alone, and as Xander Schauffele described the final round, it was shaping up to be "an absolute free-for-all." Ludvig Åberg summed up the mood simply: "I've never seen anything like it."
