Smalley grabs share of PGA lead, Young pulls closer with late eagle

A Triad golfer is tied for the lead midway through the PGA Championship.

Alex Smalley, who lives in Jamestown, shot 1-under-par 69 Friday at Aronimink to join Maverick McNealy at the top of the leaderboard at 4-under 136. Also within striking distance is Wake Forest graduate Cameron Young, who shot 67 to pull within two strokes of the co-leaders.

Smalley and McNealy are paired together at 2:40 p.m. Saturday in the third round. Smalley’s best finish in a major championship was a tie for 23rd at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Starting on the back nine, Smalley made the turn in 33. He struggled with consecutive bogeys on the first three holes of the front, but birdied No. 5 and finished on the par-5 ninth with a two-putt birdie.

Young capped a similar round with an eagle at 9, also his final hole, after drilling a wood from 273 yards to within six feet to set up the putt.

A bunched leaderboard contains six players only one shot off the pace, including Hideki Matsuyama, Chris Gotterup and Max Greyserman, a teammate of Smalley at Duke. Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Åberg are two of seven players within three of the lead.

Jon Rahm is only three behind. Rory McIlroy rallied with 67 after an opening 74 to draw within four. Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott were among players failing to make the cut.