PHILADELPHIA — The footsteps of giants were echoing behind him, each one louder than the last. All Maverick McNeely could do was wait. The PGA Championship co-leader was still 40 minutes away from teeing off when he walked off of the practice green and came face to face with the avalanche at his heels. On a giant video leaderboard rising in the distance, the household names were floating ...

Brooks Koepka, left, and Rory McIlroy shake hands after completing the third round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

PHILADELPHIA — The footsteps of giants were echoing behind him, each one louder than the last.

All Maverick McNeely could do was wait.

The PGA Championship co-leader was still 40 minutes away from teeing off when he walked off of the practice green and came face to face with the avalanche at his heels. On a giant video leaderboard rising in the distance, the household names were floating toward the surface like the first bubbles of a boil. By the time McNeely and fellow long shot Alex Smalley teed off, the 36-hole co-leaders would be joined in first place by Rory McIlory. Not long after that, they would be leaders no more.

For all of the grumbling that emanated from the starriest of corners of the players’ locker room during the first two days at Aronimink Golf Club, the mayhem that golf’s titans unleashed in Round 3 will only embolden tournament officials. Long a major in search of an identity, the PGA Championship suddenly has set itself up for a finish that can command the attention of even the casuals. The biggest names, the best games, all will be there, almost without exception.

McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Reed ... all will enter Sunday’s final round within two strokes of the lead. Within four strokes are Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler.

Represented in that group are five of the six pre-tournament betting favorites.

All told, seven players will enter Sunday within one stroke of Smalley, a relative unknown who bogeyed three of his first four holes but shot three-under on the back nine to regain the lead he held with McNealy after two rounds.

“I mean, my PGA TOUR career isn’t necessarily very long at this point, but I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Aberg, who shot a 68 to emerge with a share of the lead. “It’s very tight. I think there’s a lot of good players within striking distance going into tomorrow, and it’s a cool thing, I think, for the viewers. I think it’s cool to see that many guys have a chance to win a tournament.”

PGA officials deserve plenty of credit for that, especially after the veiled and not-so-veiled criticism they received from the likes of McIlroy, Scheffler and Reed for the setup at Aronomink during the first two rounds. The player’s critiques regarding pin positioning were both understandable and fair. A golf course is supposed to allow for players to differentiate themselves based on their skill. When pin positions are so difficult that they becomes more a matter of chance, it introduces a degree of randomness that can have a leveling effect, particularly in a field as big as the PGA Championship. That was certainly the case in the early-going at Aronimink, with 15 players within two strokes of the lead after 36 holes, and with five of the world’s 13 top-ranked golfers missing the cut entirely.

That being said, the early-round variability played a direct role in what could end up being one of the more memorable weekends of drama. With course conditions loosening, weather warming and the toughest pin locations exhausted, the final two rounds of the tournament will allow the remaining superstars to battle each other at near-unprecedented level.

“Credit to the PGA for the setup,” Rahm said. “They found some incredible hard pin locations out there. ... 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.”

Smalley thickened the plot considerably late in the day, birdieing five of his last 10 holes to separate himself from a pack of seven golfers that had been tied for the lead. That pack at minus-4 also includes long shots Matti Schmidt, Nick Taylor, Aaron Rai and McNealy.

But the story that will resonate is Saturday’s stampede of superstars. Rose, last year’s Master’s runner-up, shot a 65, with McIlroy and Schauffele shooting 66 and Rahm a 67.

“It’s a different challenge, and that’s the cool thing about it is it’s on its own,” Reed said. “But the great thing about all the golf courses we play, no matter where it is, whatever major championship we’re playing, if you’re hitting the ball well and you’re putting well, you’re going to be able to handle anything. We’re the best players in the world, so when they throw a really hard challenge at us, that’s when the top players are going to show up.”