NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Alex Smalley lived in the Wannamaker Quad, the dorm at Duke when he blossomed into a golf star and even beat Scottie Scheffler in a key match in the NCAA Championship.The “Wanny,” as it’s called, houses sophomores and upperclassman.He might poetically be the player hoisting the Wannamaker Trophy as the PGA Championship winner.“My parents and I have been joking that maybe this would be a tournament that I would win just because of that kind of fact,” Smalley said. “That’s just kind of something that we’ve joked about even before I made it out here.”Smalley graduated from Duke, loves travel to Disney World, and his mom and dad caddied extensively for him throughout his career.Here’s one more fun fact for Smalley: He leads the PGA Championship — not Rory McIlroy or Scheffler or Jon Rahm — and could close out his first career PGA Tour victory, much less his first major, on Sunday.
Smalley’s recent hot streak stretched into Saturday with terrific play on the back nine at Aronimink Golf Club, with six birdies over his last 10 holes for a 2-under 68 and a two-shot lead.
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The 29-year-old Smalley, out of Rochester, New York, has never finished higher in a major than a tie for 23rd. That came at Oak Hill in the 2023 PGA in his hometown. But his game has been trending upward, with seven top-25 finishes this season, including a second with teammate Hayden Springer in New Orleans and as seventh-place finish at Doral.
