Rahm firmly in contention at PGA Championship; Niemann, Smith, Kaymer lurking

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – Jon Rahm stared at the digital PGA Championship leaderboard late Saturday afternoon, trying to figure out how many players were within two shots of the lead. He couldn’t get an accurate answer, though.

Not enough room to list all the names.

Rahm, however, could at least see his own name. In fact, as he spoke to the media following his third-round 67, his status went from a tie for third to a share of the lead, albeit with the final groups still out on the course.

Eventually, the Legion XIII captain settled into a five-way tie for second at 4 under, two strokes behind Alex Smalley, who has never won a professional tournament since turning pro in 2019 but will now carry the burden of having the target on his back entering the final round of a major.

It’s just the fifth time in major championship history that an outright leader after 54 holes has as many as five players tied for second.

Rahm, of course, has won two majors and is the most decorated player of those who are within two shots of the lead. A win on Sunday would give him the third leg of the career grand slam to go with his U.S. Open win in 2021 and Masters win in 2023. He would also be the first Spanish player to win the PGA Championship.

“Fantastic round of golf,” said Rahm, obviously upbeat despite missing a 4-foot par putt on his final hole. “Thrilled to be in a good position for tomorrow.”

Through three rounds, Rahm ranks second in the field in Strokes Gained Tee to Green and first in Around the Green. Meanwhile, he appears to be getting his putter dialed in on the difficult pin placements that Aronimink has offered this week.

He ranked 122nd in the 156-man field in Strokes Gained Putting after the first round when he shot a 1-under 69 despite losing a stroke to the field on the greens. Since then, he’s gained +0.769 on the field with his putter.

Asked what he’s learned about the greens after 54 holes, Rahm replied: “They're hard. The best way I can describe it is you're going to see very few major championship golf courses where, if you're in the middle of the green, you're going to have as hard a time to two-putt as you can on some of the holes out here, especially with the pin locations.

“Usually being in the middle is a safe haven. This week you need to think about where you're going to leave the ball because the middle isn't always the best option with how sloped those greens are.”

In addition to Rahm, three other LIV Golf captains – Torque GC’s Joaquin Niemann, Ripper GC’s Cameron Smith and Cleeks Golf Club’s Martin Kaymer – are also lurking as part of the 12-player group tied for 11th at 2 under.

David Puig, who started the day inside the top 10, shot a 1-over 71 and is tied for 23rd at 1 under. Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson is another stroke back.

For Kaymer, it’s his best position after 54 holes in a major since the 2015 PGA Championship, when he shot a third-round 65 to enter the final round at Whistling Straits in solo fifth. Kaymer’s 4-under 66 on Saturday at Aronimink matches his lowest round in a major in the 80 rounds he has played since that 65.

“The last couple of weeks I’ve been playing well,” said the 41-year-old German, who is finally healthy after battling injuries since joining LIV Golf in 2022. “Obviously, this being a major, it’s super nice that it comes together at the right time. But for me, it’s just nice to be able to practice and play.

“It’s a matter now of, do I make the putts or not, because my game is really consistent now. I’ve put in the time and now it’s fun to play again.”

On Friday, Smith broke his streak of six consecutive missed cuts in majors. On Saturday, he shot a 2-under 68 that included a stretch of three consecutive birdies around the turn.

“Still got a chance, I think,” said the 32-year-old Australian, who changed swing coaches last week and is now working with Claude Harmon. “If a couple of putts had gone in, I’m right there. Those will come. I’m just got to be patient.”

Smith said he took a glance Saturday at some of the expected pin placements for the final round. He doesn’t expect any player to go super-low on Sunday.

“It’s going to be an interesting afternoon,” he said. “Feel like I’ll have to go out and shoot 65 or 64. If I hit it like I did today, especially on the back nine, I feel like I can do that.”

Niemann shot 66 on Saturday that included an eagle at the par-5 16th when his 9-iron from 187 yards set up an easy putt inside 3 feet. He said the key shot on the hole was his 366-yard drive. “It’s a really tough tee shot,” he said. “I needed to hit a beautiful draw, keep it on the fairway.”

A year ago, Niemann tied for eighth at the PGA, his best result in any major. He’s eyeing an even better finish on Sunday.

“One guy can just run away. Or it could be a stacked leaderboard like it is right now,” he said. “There’s many things that can happen … I just know that I’ve got to stay in my place, in my world, and try to execute the best I can.”

With an unproven leader and a large list of contenders, Sunday could provide opportunities for a lot of players to earn a major. Rahm relishes the chance to add to his resume on a course setup that some have complained about.

“Credit to the PGA for the setup,” he said. “They found some incredibly hard pin locations out there. Usually when we're practicing, we put our disks out, and there's definitely quite a few that I would have told Adam [Hayes, his caddie], man, there's no way they're going to put a pin there – and they did. So we found a way to keep it all close together.

“As hard as it is to play, the challenge can also be kind of fun if you do well. That's probably the reason why the leaderboard is so bunched up and it's going to be such a good Sunday tomorrow. So in that sense, showmanship-wise, they've done a great job.”