Alex Smalley put himself in prime position Friday to win his first PGA Tour event on his home course — even if the Sedgefield Country Club layout plays significantly different for the Wyndham Championship.
And Smalley made it exciting for his supporters. Starting on No. 10, the 29-year-old Jamestown resident caused a massive roar from the gallery surrounding the 18th green by holing his second shot for eagle on the uphill par-4 in the shadows of the club’s iconic Tudor-style clubhouse.
The 147-yard shot from a slightly downhill lie in the center of the fairway, took a small bounce and rolled into the front-center cup. Riding that momentum, Smalley made three birdies on his bogey-free second nine to post 6-under-par 64 and improve to 9-under 131, only three shots behind leader Beau Hossler and two behind Jordan Smith and Ben James.
“You’re really just trying to make par on 18 most of the rounds and give yourself a chance at birdie,” said Smalley, who joined Sedgefield only a year or so after graduating from Duke University. “But to have something like that happen is an added bonus.”
Smalley’s round included tap-in, two-putt birdies on Sedgefield’s two par-5, Nos. 5 and 15.
While much of the discussion this week has centered on former UNC teammates Ryan Gerard and Ben Griffin and former Wake Forest teammates Cameron Young, Alex Fitzgerald and Michael Brennan — both alumni groups enjoying terrific seasons — it’s a Duke duo having the best homecoming.
Max Greyserman, who blew a four-stroke lead on the back nine in the final round in 2024, shot 66 Friday to join former Duke teammate Smalley in a 10-player logjam for fourth place that also includes Brennan.
Hossler and James will play in Saturday’s final twosome at 1:55 p.m. The round kicks off at 7 a.m.
Smalley acknowledged the support of Sedgefield members. But said the 3 1/2-inch rough is typically less than 2 inches for member play and the break of many putts is different at the added Wyndham speed, which he estimated at 13 on the Stimpmeter.
“I would say it’s kind of a blessing and a curse to have a tournament on your home course,” Smalley said. “It’s nice just because there are a number of blind tee shots out here and to kind of know the sightlines of where you’re going is important. Then knowing just some of the slopes on the greens and where you want to try to leave it is important as well.
“But the golf course doesn’t play like this. Even though I’ve been here for five or six years now, I’m having to learn like everybody else how it’s going to play this week because when the ball hits in the fairway, it doesn’t usually roll out a lot for regular play, the greens are a little slower. But I’d rather have a tournament here than not I would say, so it’s great.”
The 31-year-old Greyserman has only one top 10 finish and two top 20s this season. He entered the Wyndham at No. 99 in the FedExCup standings. Only the top 70 after the Wyndham make the playoffs. In November, after the FedEx Fall Series, only the top 100 receive a full exemption for next year.
Greyserman finished 48th in 2024 and 57th in 2025. This week, he has a greater sense of urgency.
“Being around 100 is not the bubble that you want to be around. You know, life is just fine if you’re around the 70 bubble,” said Greyserman. “It’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t make the playoffs but I’m getting ready for next year.’ The 100 bubble is I don’t have full status next year, so I would say that’s a little bit more stressful.”
Brennan and Fitzpatrick have played well. Brennan, 105 on the FedEx list entering the tournament, shot 65 in the afternoon. No. 19 Fitzpatrick, also finishing late, shot 68 for 134.
James, who shot 62 Thursday, added 67 in the second round. Five other players, Sahith Theegala, Doug Ghim, Alex Noren and David Skinns are tied at 131.
Scores went up Friday. While 22 players shot 65 or better on Thursday, only half as many did the same on Friday. Almost lost in on the crowded leaderboard was the low score of the day, 63 by Marco Penge, who made the cut by a single stroke. The remaining field includes 81 players — 18 of them at 137, including amateur Kihei Akina, a sophomore at Brigham Young who received a sponsor’s exemption.
Some good news for fans about the big remaining field: major champions Hidecki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Jorden Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Keegan Bradley and Raleigh native and Webb Simpson made the cut. Defending champion Cameron Young rallied for 66 — including 31 on the back nine to make the cut.
Those missing the cut included Gerard and Griffin, who each missed by one stroke; 19-year-old phenom Blades Brown; and major champions Lucas Glover and Brian Harman.
The 18th hole provided some cutline drama in Friday’s morning wave. The cutline itself never wavered, staying at 137 throughout the day, which ended with some light rainfall and a short weather delay for the final few groups.
Jordan Spieth trickled in a downhill 24-foot par putt on No. 9 — his final hole — to sneak into the weekend field at 137.
Peter Malnati, who shot 39 on the front nine, including a double-bogey at No. 5, rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt that briefly hung on the edge of the cup before dropping — after Malnati had turned his head in disappointment — to finish with a 71, just good enough to stay for the weekend.
Mac Meissner three-putted from 46 feet at 18 and made double bogey to miss the cut by one shot.
