Alex Smalley Ties For Lead At 4 Under At Aronimink — Smalley Pga
Alex Smalley put himself in the thick of the 2026 PGA Championship race with a 1-under 69 on Friday at Aronimink, leaving him tied for the lead at 4 under. The smalley pga picture changed fast in the second round, and he is now tied with Maverick McNealy after 36 holes.
Aronimink Pressure
Smalley called the round a solid step forward after dealing with difficult conditions through the first two days. “I’m very pleased with 4 under. It played really difficult the first couple of days with the wind,” he said after the 69.
The scorecard matched the setting. He carded three bogeys and two birdies over six holes in the round, then kept enough together to stay at the top of the board. That left the 29-year-old in position to chase his first major title in his fifth major start.
Maria Smalley’s Tracking System
His run has been built with a detailed support routine that has followed him from high school to the pro game. Maria Smalley started tracking his tournament round data in his senior year of high school and kept logging it through his Duke career and into his professional career.
A coach introduced her to an app called Shots to Hole on a college recruiting trip, and the system grew from there. Maria records his distance to the flag, club selection, wind direction, altitude, lie and slope when available, while also keeping thousands of videos of his swing on her phone. The goal is a more accurate version of ShotLink so he can evaluate his play with more information.
McNealy Shares The Lead
The tie at 4 under puts Smalley alongside Maverick McNealy after the second round. It also comes after a strong start to the season that has already included four top-10 finishes, a tie for second at the Zurich Classic and a tie for 17th at the Truist Championship the week before the PGA Championship.
Maria Smalley could see the climb coming as he closed in on the lead at Aronimink. “It’s all finally coming together,” she said while hurrying toward the sixth green. For Smalley, the next step is simple: keep the number low and protect a share of first place at a major where he has already put himself within reach.
