Who is Alex Smalley? Meet the unassuming underdog contending at the PGA Championship
Alex Smalley, an unassuming underdog, is making a run at the PGA Championship, and trying for a Rocky-like upset. Could he make his first win a major?
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – If the 108th PGA Championship were seeking to cast its version of a Rocky Balboa longshot to do battle this weekend with the likes of world No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler and major winners like Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama, it may have found its man in the quiet, unassuming 29-year-old American Alex Smalley, who is punching above his weight through 36 holes.
In chilly and windy conditions on Friday, Smalley broke par for the second straight day at Aronimink Golf Club, shooting 1-under 69. “It was difficult,” he said. “I definitely would have taken a 1-under today before I teed off.
” Smalley is an unassuming guy, with a 4. 7 grad point average in high school, or as his caddie, Michael Burns, cracked, “4. 6 better than me.
” He matriculated to Duke University and graduated in 2019 as an Environmental Studies major with a 3. 6 GPA, which certainly might make him miscast for the Rocky role. But Smalley's certainly an underdog, a little-known pro filling fields but with vast untapped talent.