On Wednesday morning, Alex Smalley didn't know if he’d be playing in the PGA Championship. By Thursday afternoon, he was in the Quail Hollow clubhouse one shot back of the lead after shooting a 4-under 67.
Smalley made five birdies and an eagle on the day to go along with three bogeys.
“I did a lot of things well. No. 1 key here is to get the ball in the fairway," he said. "I feel like for the most part, the fairways are relatively generous, and then given the conditions, the ball is not rolling too far. So, if your ball hits in the fairway, it's probably going to stay there."
Smalley was an alternate up until late Wednesday afternoon when Sahith Theegala had to withdraw from the tournament with a neck injury. Smalley is local to the area and didn't have to travel far to get to Quail Hollow. The 28-year-old grew up in New York but currently lives in Greensboro, N.C. He played his college golf at Duke University and is extremely comfortable playing in the region.
“To have a major championship in your home state is awesome. To be able to get in last-minute is great,” Smalley said. “Obviously, I feel for Sahith. I know he pulled out last week [at the Truist Championship] as well.”
Smalley has played the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow only once in his career (2023) and finished T18.
Last week Smalley played well at the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic, finishing T5. After stopping home briefly, he came to Quail Hollow on Monday night and began to prepare just as he would for any other tournament despite at the time not having a spot in the field.
“I prepared just like I could any other tournament,” he said. “Drove home Sunday night. I think it rained pretty much all day here on Monday, and I drove down Monday night.
"Obviously, it’s interesting being first alternate. I was losing hope after every passing hour. And you know, you hear about everybody’s ailments as being first alternate, as well. I found out about four o’clock, 4:15 yesterday that Sahith had withdrawn.”
Smalley has yet to win on the PGA Tour but has come close on multiple occasions. He now has a chance to contend in a major championship after a promising start.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Last Man in the PGA Championship Field Is Contending After Round 1.
