LEADERBOARD
-6 Schmid (6)
-5 Thomas (F), Smith (12), Taylor (7)
-4 McIlroy (8), Rahm (7), Rai (7), Aberg (7), Smalley (6)
Irish:
-1 Harrington (F)
+2 Lowry (F)
Matti Schmid’s caddie is Chris Selfridge, from Northern Ireland, once a decent tour player himself. Uncharted territory for both of them. Caddies from the North going well this week – Harry Diamond, Ricky Elliott, Bo Martin and Selfridge.
McIlroy (-4) goes for a seven iron from over 200, couldn’t be placed better on the par 5 after the longest drive today. But it’s not enough club, a bit disappointing and he leaves it short of the green. Can still get up and down for a birdie.
Matti Schmid (-6) the leader is not too well known. He recently played with Ireland’s Séamus Power in the PGA Tour team event the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He has never won the PGA Tour or European Tours, a best Major finish was as an amateur at The Open in 2021, tied 59th. Certainly uncharted territory.
It’s a bogey for Rahm (-4) as he hits into thick rough on the 7th off the tee and can only hack out, then failed to get up and down. McIlroy has gone from ninth to tied 6th without doing anything, it’s not playing too easy out there.
The good news is McIlroy (-4) has hit a great drive at the par 5 9th. 379 yard bomb on the fairway, most importantly, and 208 yards left to hit in two.
Smalley (-6) has made an absolute hames of the 6th hole. With his third, he tries a low pitch to the front of the green but he’s a yard short and then he blades his next pitch. Now he is staring at double bogey. McIlroy will be within one shortly.
Or not! Schmid (-6) with the long putter has knocked one in up the hill at the 6th to take the lead instead. Smalley makes double bogey.
On the broadcast they said it’s a 26 per cent chance of a playoff, which would be a three-hole playoff rather than sudden death. We could be here a while.
Smalley (-6) is still in front but he’s made an error at the 6th to go from the rough into the bunker. Will have to get down in two to keep the lead.
McIlroy (-4) on the eighth has 45 feet for birdie and again lags it pretty well, two feet left for par.
Birdie for Harrington! He holes from just off the green again to a big cheer, three under for his last three holes. A week to remember from the 54-year-old.
Pádraig Harrington shoots one-under-par round of 69 on day four
Pádraig Harrington of Ireland. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty
Never got close enough to contend on Sunday, but he is on course to finish in the top 25 in a Major. How about that, would be his best finish since 2021.
McIlroy (-4) had no real angle to get it close, despite being inside 60 yards of the hole and has to aim for the middle of the green. He’s got about 25 feet for birdie on 7.
McIlroy lags it up for par. Sticking in it, without any major fireworks so far. Rahm (-5) hits to seven feet for birdie on the 6th to join the lead again.
A massive drive on an aggressive line by McIlroy (-4) on the 7th, some 388 yards! He only has 54 left on the par 4, albeit it will be from the rough. Taylor will join the -5 group after a brilliant tee shot on the par 3 5th to a foot.
Massive par for Smalley (-6) who hit it into the bunker and tried to use the slope but it never came down. But from 26 feet he’s holed the putt to stay in the lead.
McIlroy (-4) from 30 odd feet at 6, after a conservative approach dictated by where his drive was, hits a very good lag to a few inches from the hole again. He appears to check out the leaderboard, which he’d see that nobody is making a major move yet.
Eagle for Harrington! Short game magic from the Irishman on the 16th and he holes a bunker shot. What a week he is having and that shoot him up about 10 or 15 places on the leaderboard. Back to even par.
McIlroy (-4) drove the green on the 6th yesterday, opts for a fairway wood today which surprises Wayne Riley, and he miscues it into the fairway bunker.
Rory McIlroy greets fans. Photograph: Emilee Chinn/Getty
Rai (-5) goes back to one behind after a good birdie putt on the 4th. Cameron Smith will also reach that number with a birdie on the 9th.
Harrington (+2) has not had a great day and falls further down the leaderboard with a bogey at the 15th. It also looks like Scheffler’s race is run after a three-putt bogey on the 14th knocks him back to -2.
Bogey for Rahm (-5), costly mistake after where he was off the tee. That will happen all day, ups and downs. Smalley back to the solo lead.
Thomas (-5) has a decent length par putt after hitting into the heavy rough off the tee. He gets it and sets the target in the clubhouse at -5 after a fantastic final round of 65. A two-time champion and whose father is a PGA pro, the American loves this event. I can’t see -5 winning it to be honest, but it’s given them something to think about.
Par for McIlroy (-4), good effort on the 5th, lags it up to a few inches.
A par for McIlroy at the 4th to stay at -4. Smalley (-6) makes an error at the 2nd as he hits his approach into the bunker. Rahm does the same on the 3rd hole, went for the flag and into the trap.
McIlroy hits an okay approach at the 5th, another long birdie putt left. Rahm has maybe 15 feet left for par. Better shot by Smalley, who actually avoided the bunker and hits a nice chip to close.
Disappointing approach by McIlroy (-4) from the middle of the fairway on 4, went right on him and it’s on the green but not a realistic birdie chance. Rai (-4) drops a shot on the 3rd, while Scheffler gives himself a glimmer with a birdie at the 13th to move to -3.
Birdie for Rahm! That’s two to start and he ties the lead on -6. Then a great drive on the 3rd. A reminder that Rahm could complete the Spanish slam with a win, a Spanish player has never won the PGA Championship. And it would mean he’d go into the Open Championship in Birkdale in July looking to complete the career Grand Slam that McIlroy did last year. A long way to go here though.
Thomas (-5) hits to the middle of the green at the par 3 17th, long putt left to get to -6. Smalley (-6) plays the first hole well tee to green, 20 feet for birdie which he misses and knocks a bit farther past than he would have liked.
On the 4th, McIlroy (-4) has hit another great drive, 325 yards down the middle. 135 yards left from the short grass. Here is a video of McIlroy’s birdie at the 2nd:
Just a par for McIlroy (-4) as he misses from 14 feet for birdie at the 3rd. Well played hole, close, onto the next one. Rahm (-5) on the second hole from the rough hits a good approach, 10 feet left to tie the lead.
Another player to make a great start, and ominous for the field, is Jon Rahm (-5) who birdies the fourth from five feet after a good approach. Aberg (-4) parred the first but he’s hit to close on the second. The way the course is set up, it’s important to make your birdies on the front nine and hold on for some tougher finishing holes.
Thomas (-5) makes another birdie on 16 and he will likely post a clubhouse score that will stay for quite a while.
McIlroy (-4) is in the middle of the fairway on the 3rd and hits a good wedge towards the back which gets the spin and comes back. Another birdie chance.
Birdie for McIlroy! Holes the putt for birdie from short-range, that’s an excellent start and narrows the deficit to two.
Aaron Rai (-5) birdies the first to break from the -4 group and go to solo second. Excellent approach to four feet and he converts.
Great approach by McIlroy. Wedged it to five feet on 2. That’s for birdie to go to -4.
Good drive by McIlroy (-3) at the second, 338 yards and on the fairway. Only 62 yards left to try to attack for birdie. Rahm (-4) is under way off the first, hitting a fairway wood and splitting the fairway.
Poor putt by McIlroy, opts for the putter over a wedge and leaves it well short, maybe 10 feet left for par.
Par for McIlroy! He holes the putt up the hill, great confidence booster already.
Justin Thomas (-4) makes a birdie at the tough 15th, he’s making a charge again at the PGA Championship. Came from seven back in 2022 to win.
Nice shot by Cameron Smith (-4) sets up a birdie chance to get to solo second, but just slips by the edge from 10 feet. Maverick McNealy holes a long putt on the first to get to -4. Niemann drops to -3, having to hole a long putt for bogey on the 3rd.
McIlroy’s (-3) lie isn’t too bad, 127 yards from the rough with a wedge. McIlroy plays for a flier of sorts but he doesn’t get it and he rolls down off the front of the green. Better shot by Schauffele (-3) who hits to the heart of it.
Rory McIlroy tees off the first
“Now on the tee from Northern Ireland, the 2012 and 2014 PGA Champion, Rory McIlroy,” says the announcer to much fanfare.
McIlroy’s (-3) first drive is in the right rough, not his best, but no major trouble. Schauffele (-3) goes the other way, down the left rough.
Scheffler (-2) gets a birdie on the par 5 9th to get to -9 and in the middle of the fairway at the 10th. Would need to come home with four or five birdies minimum to be in with a chance to win it you’d think. Cameron Smith (-4) holes a putt on 4 to get into the four unders group too.
A reminder of what McIlroy could achieve today:
The worst 18-hole position by a men’s major championship winner is T-84th by Steve Jones at the U.S. Open 30 years ago.
Rory McIlroy was T-105th after round 1 this week.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 17, 2026
If he won the PGA Championship, it would be his seventh Major championship, tying Harry Vardon for most by a European, moving past Nick Faldo on the all-time list. He’d go level with players like Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead for most Majors.
LIV star Joaquin Niemann has underperformed in Majors in his career so far but he’s making a run today, with birdies on his first two holes. Up to -4.
Hideki Matsuyama (-4) has made a very good start, two under on the day through five holes. McIlroy (-3) is making his last preparations before heading to the first tee for his 7.05pm tee time.
No big charge from Harrington so far anyway, one over par for the tournament after nine holes. He started well with a birdie on the second, but no joy after that, with bogeys at eight and nine. No charge either from defending champion Scottie Scheffler (-1), who is level par for the day. There was by Kitayama (-3) who shot 63 to fly up the leaderboard, but more relevant to winning the tournament may be Justin Thomas (-3), who is 3 under for the day through 12 and if could post 5 or 6 under then that would be interesting.
Shane Lowry shot a final round of 68, two-under, and two over for the tournament to pick up a few more bob and ranking points. Currently tied 49th, jumped 15 places.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink. After 54 holes, there were 22 players within four shots of the lead, the most in PGA Championship history. So that gives a context of the sort of shootout that could be ahead, where if any player near the lead gets hot they could take the spoils. Rory McIlroy is as well placed as anyone to do so after rounds of 67 and 66 on Friday and Saturday to make up for the 74 on Thursday, as he’s come roaring back into the tournament.
He goes out with 2024 champion Xander Schauffele at 7.05pm, you would not be surprised if the winner came from that pairing. Jon Rahm is another leading contender too, starting on -4, as is Ludvig Aberg. But for now, the man to catch is Alex Smalley, who has never won on tour but holds a two-shot lead. Can he handle the pressure and keep the lead? We’ll see.