It’s Moving Day at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia, and already Rory McIlroy is making his.
After starting the day five back of the lead, McIlroy via a 4-under 66 has moved back into contention as the Day 2 leaders take the course.
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Scottie Scheffler is looking to make a move, too. Scheffler posted a 1-over on Friday and ended up sitting two shots off the lead despite entering the second round with a share of it. But even as the weather calmed down on Friday, nobody ran away with it.
But conditions are ripe, for now, for scoring. Already in Round 3 there are several players who have gone low, including Chris Kirk who was 7-under on his round heading to 18 only to double bogey his final hole.
Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy will enter the third round with a share of the lead at 4-under, and there are six players at 3-under, just a shot off the lead. The tournament is truly still wide open. It all just depends on who can survive the course, which has proven to be much more difficult than many expected.
Smalley and McNealy will tee off in the final group on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET. Their lead could very easily be gone by the time they hit the first tee.
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Saturday, May 16
CBS: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET
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Live50 updatesSat, May 16, 2026 at 6:28 AM PDT
Jay Hart
Updated as of 3:41 p.m. ET
POSITION
PLAYER
SCORE
THRU
T1
Matti Schmid
-4
17
T1
Ludvig Åberg
-4
9
T1
Maverick McNealy
-4
4
T1
Aaron Rai
-4
10
T1
Nick Taylor
-4
16
T1
Stephan Jaeger
-4
6
T6
Jon Rahm
-3
12
T6
Rory McIlroy
-3
66
T6
Xander Schauffele
-3
66
T6
Justin Thomas
-3
7
T6
Chris Gotterup
-3
5
T6
Min Woo Lee
-3
6
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:51 PM PDT
Jay Hart
They are…
Matti Schmid
Ludvig Åberg
Nick Taylor
Aaron Rai
Jon Rahm
Rory McIlroy
Stephan Jaeger
Chris Gotterup
Maverick McNealy
Jon Rahm
Alex Smalley
Justin Thomas
Max Greyserman
Chris Kirk
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:34 PM PDT
Jay Hart
Add Ludvig Åberg to the list of leaders. This leaderboard is moving quickly. Thankfully they are electric at Aronimink, as opposed to at Augusta, where the board workers would be working double time.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:31 PM PDT
Jay Hart
There are 27 players within two shots of the lead.
Rory McIlroy might not like the lack of separation. How about you?
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:28 PM PDT
Jay Hart
Justin Thomas has scrambled his way over 2-plus rounds and is now among the leaders.
Joining him is Germany’s Matti Schmid, who has never finished better than T59 in four major appearances.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:14 PM PDT
Jay Busbee
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Congratulations to the cut-makers at the 2026 PGA Championship! Your gift: birdies, birdies as far as the eye can see. Our gift: a major that might just have all of the game’s very best at the very top of the leaderboard.
After two days of absolute carnage, where players derided their “s–t” performances and criticized “absurd” pin placements, Aronimink, host of the 108th PGA Championship, relented. On a gorgeous Saturday, the warmest and brightest day of the week, the players stormed the course like Black Friday shoppers, loading up birdies by the armload.
Topping them all, the two-time reigning Masters champion, the only guy in the field capable of achieving a grand slam, the dude who had that aforementioned crappy Thursday: Mr. Rory McIlroy. He began the day at +1, and by the 13th hole he’d caught the leaders at -4, 45 minutes before they’d even teed off. He gave one back coming in, but a 4-under 66 put him just one back of the lead when he walked off the 18th green.
For more on McIlroy’s Moving Day, click here.
Rory McIlroy is right back in the mix. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
(Richard Heathcote via Getty Images)
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:10 PM PDT
Ryan Young
This is a wide open major, a rare site for a Saturday afternoon. There are 15 guys either in the lead or within a shot of the lead, and nobody has been able to go lower than -4. It’s packed
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:59 AM PDT
Ryan Young
And now Jon Rahm is with the leaders after he birdied the ninth just now. He’s 3-under on the day headed to the back, tied with Pitgieter and McNealy
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:53 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Rory was very plugged in the bunker at the 17th, and then he left his chip short of the green. That led to an up-and-down bogey at the par-3, and he’s dropped back to 3-under.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:48 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Aldrich Potgieter birdied his second hole of the day, and he’s now with the group at 4-under. Everyone is out on the course now, and we’ve got a four-way tie for first.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:43 AM PDT
Ryan Young
That was … not a good start for Alex Smalley. He just sent his tee shot way to the right of the fairway at the first. Not great.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:42 AM PDT
Ryan Young
He knew immediately, too. Rory had a great shot for a birdie at the 16th, but he sent his putt just to the right. A tap-in par works, but that would’ve given him the solo lead.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:27 AM PDT
Jay Hart
We posted this Thursday afternoon:
Updated odds
Per the PGA, Scottie Scheffler is now better than 2-1 to win … and Round 1 isn’t even over.
Here are the current odds:
Scheffler +160
Schauffele +950
Rahm +1400
Lee +1600
JT +1800
Brooks +2200
And, after his opening round 74, Rory is +9000
……
Current odds:
Scheffler +375
Rory +525
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 11:27 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Max Greyserman didn’t waste any time. He sank a solid birdie putt his opening hole to join Rory McIlroy and the leaders at 1-under.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:57 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Rory McIlroy is on an absolute tear in the third round, and he’s doing so at the perfect time as the wind starts to pick up around the course.
He just birdied the par-4 13th for his sixth of the day, and he’s now tied for the lead.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:49 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Make that four straight birdies from Sam Burns, and he’s suddenly with the group at 3-under.
It feels like someone is going to join the leaders, who don’t tee off for another hour or so, soon.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:41 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Haotong Li with the putt of the day from just inside 80 feet! What a birdie.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:39 AM PDT
Ryan Young
Remarkably, Justin Rose’s 30 on the front nine was the first time he’s ever pulled that off in his major career.
His 5-under 65 has him at 2-under now, very much in the mix.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:25 AM PDT
Jay Hart
Chris Kirk’s stellar round ends with a double bogey … ouch.
He was 7-under on his round, then missed an 8-footer for par at 18, then the 3-footer for bogey.
Still, it’s a 65. He’d have taken that at the start of the day.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:23 AM PDT
Jay Hart
And now he’s just one back of the lead.
With a birdie at 11 — one that just trickled in — Rory is now to -3. At 4-under for the round, he’s still got some holes left to move into the lead before the clubhouse leaders even tee off.
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 10:08 AM PDT
Jay Hart
Chris Kirk is still lighting it up. After lipping out a birdie putt at 16, he drained one at 17 for his 8th birdie of the day. That one gets him to -4 for the tourney and in a tie for the lead.
Also…. one hole to see if he can card a 62. He’ll need a birdie at 18.