Rory McIlroy. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

A par four on the last and McIlroy will sign for a 69. Only one dropped shot today on 13, and birdies on 2 and 14, but he couldn’t quite get the putter going otherwise and his driving proved costly on occasion.

After that stumbling finish of four bogeys on the bounce at the end of Thursday’s first round 74, McIlroy recovered wonderfully with rounds of 67, 66, and 69.

He’s currently in a tie for fifth.

Rory McIlroy finishes with a final round of 69 at the PGA Championship.

Rai looked a bit shaky after bogeys on 16 and 18 but he has gathered himself since then with an eagle on 9, before birdies have followed on 11, 13, 16 and 17. 

And that surely is that now, Rai moves to -9 with just a hole left to play. He’s four-under for his back nine to date and six-under for his last nine holes.

A birdie for Aaron Rai on 17, what a putt!

And this is looking like a tournament Aaron Rai is in control of as he goes for eagle on 16, misses on the left, but knocks in for a birdie. He’s now on -8 and two clear of Matti Schmid who is in a spot of bother on 15.

Rahm misses birdie on 15 to stay two back, McIlroy can’t find his range from distance on 17 and stays three back.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -7 Aaron Rai (15)
• -6 Matti Schmid (14)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Jon Rahm (14)
• -4 Cameron Smith (F), Rory McIlroy (16), Alex Smalley (14)

No birdie for McIlroy on 15. His third shot was a risky one where he went for the green and it hit the edge before dropping into the bunker. From there he cleaned up for his par with an up and down out of the stand.

He’s on -4 with two holes left to play, the par-three 17th and the par-four 18th.

Matti Schmid birdies 13 and that gets him to within one of Rai. A par on the same hole for Jon Rahm, he’s two adrift.

McIlroy’s second shot from the rough on 16 drifts right and he faces a tricky up and down for the birdie to get to -5.

Patrick Reed moves to join the group at -4 after birdies on 14 and 16. They all need something special though to haul back Aaron Rai.

Quite an effort at birdie from distance by McIlroy on 15, he judges it perfectly and taps in for a par. Three holes left to go, including the par-five 16th, which he must now attack.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -7 Aaron Rai (13)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Jon Rahm (12), Matti Schmid (11)
• -4 Cameron Smith (F), Rory McIlroy (14), Ludvig Aberg (13), Nick Taylor (12), Alex Smalley (11)

So -5 is the minimum now for those out on the back nine with Justin Thomas watching on from the clubhouse. But they’ll all be aware of the waves Rai is making as he stands at -7.

Aaron Rai. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Rory McIlroy. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The significant move is being made by Aaron Rai though! The leader now by two shots, a quite superb up and down from the sand at the 13th, draining the putt to move to -7.

The English golfer is now four-under for his last five holes and has put some daylight between himself and the field.

No joy for Cam Smith at the last. His birdie putt can’t drop and he can’t join Justin Thomas in the clubhouse at -5. The Australian has to settle for -4 finish after a round of 68 today.

A brilliant response from McIlroy at the par-three 14th! He nails his 23 foot putt across the green and he’s back in it at -4. Ludvig Aberg joins him at that mark with a birdie on 13.

Birdie for Rory McIlroy! 

Quite a finish for Padraig Harrington…

Love it @padraig_h 🙌#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/bayYglLQM3

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 17, 2026

Eagle-par-birdie finish for Padraig Harrington!

He is the oldest player to play all four rounds this week at Aronimink and is set to have his best finish at a Major Championship since 2021 👏🇮🇪 #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/mIDT7DoZBk

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 17, 2026

A leaderboard update then.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Aaron Rai (12)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Jon Rahm (11), Matti Schmid (10)
• -4 Cameron Smith (17), Nick Taylor (11), Alex Smalley (10)
• -3 Rory McIlroy (13)

McIlroy can’t make much ground, his chip from the unforgiving rough catches the top of the slope on the green and trundles back down. He’s left with a 37-foot putt for par, gives it a good effort but it comes to a rest a couple of feet short.

A bogey five it is on the 299-yard 13th for McIlroy. He’s now -3 and three shots behind. 

Paul McGinley mentions he’s 75th out of 82 in driving accuracy this weekend. A costly statistic.

McIlroy’s drive flies right on 13 and he can’t make much headway in his attempt to make the green. Faced a tough up and down from the rough to rescue par.

Bogey for Cam Smith on 17, his first mistep on the back nine after seven straight pars and a first dropped shot today. That leaves him on -4.

Is it between that group from -4 up? Schauffele and Aberg amongs the players on -3.

We’ve got a new solo leader, Aaron Rai out front as Schmid bogeys the 10th.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Aaron Rai (11)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Jon Rahm (10), Matti Schmid (10), Cameron Smith (16)
• -4 Rory McIlroy (12), Nick Taylor (10), Alex Smalley (10)

McIlroy rolls it up from the front of the green on 12 and taps in for par. He stays on -4, two behind Rai and Schmid.

Cameron Smith has a chance to jump alongside Schmid at the top of the leaderboard but he can’t land his birdie putt on 16. Aaron Rai makes no mistake though on 11, following up his eagle on 9.

McIlroy’s wedge on the 12th lands on the green with 43 feet left to play.

Bogey for Aberg on 10, bogey for Schauffele on 11, but yet another par for McIlroy on 11 sees him remain at -4.

Up ahead Schmid continues to lead the way on -6 as he heads to the back nine.

A birdie as well on nine for Ludvig Aberg, he’s at -4 and within touching distance once more.

Big par save by Cameron Smith on 15 to stay at -5, that’s the mark Jon Rahm returns to with his birdie on nine.

McIlroy and Schauffele both safely negotiate the 10th with pars. They’re both only two back, is one of them poised to make a charge on this back nine?

Hold up on the news of Aaron Rai struggling! He’s just eagled the 9th in stunning fashion, a 39-foot putt dropping and that’s got him to within one of the lead.

The type of touch on the green that McIlroy could have done with in his front nine.

Aaron Rai and Ludvig Aberg have both bogeyed the short 8th, they’re now three shots back on -3, having both been at -5 earlier in their rounds.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Matti Schmid (7)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Cameron Smith (14), Nick Taylor (8)
• -4 Rory McIlroy (9), Xander Schauffele (9), Jon Rahm (8), Alex Smalley (7)

Xander Schauffele joins McIlroy on -4 heading towards the back nine after he makes birdie on the 9th.

Ah it’s a three-putt for McIlroy on nine, the birdie putt from just under ten feet doesn’t drop as it stays high, and that’ll feel a disappointing outcome after such a brilliant drive.

A front nine of 34 for the Masters champion. No dropped shots today so far, he remains two off the lead.

McIlroy with a seven-iron from the fairway on the 9th, but he can’t quite put himself in a position for an eagle. He’s on the green but has 42 feet to work with. Still if he replicates his two-putt form, that’ll take him to -5 and a front nine of 33.

Scottie Scheffler.

A bogey on 17 and a par on 18, and Scottie Scheffler signs off for the week with a 69.

It leaves him on -2 for the tournament after rounds of 67, 71, 71, and 69. Flying start by the world’s best player but that form could not be replicated as the week went on.

He heads to Shinnecock Hills for next month’s US Open in his pursuit of the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy on the tee on nine and he’s comfortably on the fairway. His run of pars puts him in a positive place, Rahm bogeying the 7th there, following Aberg previously.

A disastrous hole for Alex Smalley on the 6th, a double-bogey sends him tumbling back down the leaderboard, one which now really has a different look to it.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Matti Schmid (6)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Cameron Smith (12), Nick Taylor (6)
• -4 Jon Rahm (7), Rory McIlroy (8), Aaron Rai (7), Ludvig Aberg (7), Alex Smalley (6)

Birdie for Mattie Schmid takes him to -6. A bogey for Aberg on the 7th and Rahm looks to be in trouble on the same hole.

It’s been a patient front nine to date for McIlroy, a seventh par has arrived on the par-three 8th as he heads to the par-five 9th.

Harris English bogeys 14 and 15, that’ll probably put paid to his aspirations as he slides back to -2.

A birdie on the last for Harrington, following on from that eagle on 16, and his closing burst sees him finish the PGA Championship on one-under.

Rounds of 74, 69, 67 and 69 for the 2008 champion, a fine week’s work.

Padraig Harrington finishes with a final round of one-under 69

It’s really congested at the top!

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Alex Smalley (4)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Cameron Smith (10), Ludvig Aberg (6), Nick Taylor (5), Jon Rahm (5), Matti Schmid (4)
• -4 Rory McIlroy (7), Aaron Rai (6)

A recurring theme for McIlroy, two-putting on the green for par with a lengthy first one travelling to within kick-in distance. Steady stuff so far, he’s -1 for the day after 7 holes, still only two off the lead.

Leader Alex Smalley. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Schauffele with six straight pars to date, he hasn’t gained any real momentum so far to chip away at the leaders. McIlroy’s drive on the 7th travels 388 yards, he stays patient with his pitch from the left of the front of the green and he’s 26 feet away.

Scheffler taps in for a birdie on 16 but he was a roll away from an eagle and while he goes to -3, the world number one is running out of holes here.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Alex Smalley (3)
• -5 Justin Thomas (F), Cameron Smith (9), Aaron Rai (5), Ludvig Aberg (5), Nick Taylor (5), Jon Rahm (4)
• -4 Rory McIlroy (6), Matti Schmid (3)

McIlroy gives it a good go with his lengthy birdie putt down the hill on six and taps in for the subsequent par.

So he’s -1 now after six holes, five pars and that birdie on two for the Masters champion.

Our leader remains at -6, Alex Smalley draining a 26-foot putt to save par on three.

McIlroy in fact just avoided the sand on the 6th, he doesn’t attack the pin front right and is instead safely on the green, left with around 35 feet to negotiate.

Padraig Harrington stood on the 16th at +2 for the day and the same figure for the tournament. He’s leaving on level par all round after holing out from the bunker for an eagle!

Cameron Smith rounds off his front nine with another birdie and he’s -3 for today and -5 overall, just one off the lead. McIlroy off the tee on the sixth ends up in a bunker on the right. He’ll have 105 yards to play with to the hole.

Par for McIlroy on five and bogey for Rahm on three. Meanwhile Harris English is putting together a run with three birdies between 11 and 13, taking him to -4.

PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Alex Smalley
• -5 Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg, Jon Rahm
• -4 Harris English, Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Nick Taylor, Matti Schmid

Thomas with a par putt on the last and it’s a huge save! A final round of 65 for the two-time champion and he’s in the clubhouse having set the target.

Justin Thomas is the clubhouse leader on -5.

McIlroy’s approach shot on the 4th meant a birdie was always difficult so he’s got to settle for another par.

McIlroy can’t get close on the fourth. He finds the fairway with his drive, is 138 yards from the pin but is left 38 feet on the green.

Bogey for Aaron Rai, he’s now two back, while it’s a birdie on 13 for Scottie Scheffler to take him to -3.

Birdie-birdie start for Jon Rahm and we’ve a joint leader alongside Alex Smalley at -6!

The 14 footer won’t drop for McIlroy! He’s to settle for a par as does Schauffele, his third straight par in his start to the final round.

Ludvig Aberg, the Swedish Ryder Cup player, makes a move with birdie on two and now there’s a four-way tie for second on -5.

McIlroy finds the fairway on the 450-yard third and he’ll have another look at birdie on the green after his second shot.

Justin Thomas continues to charge, another birdie on 15 and he’s at -5 for the tournament, alongside Jon Rahm and Aaron Rai.

You’ll have noticed Rahm has moved to -5, that means the Spaniard, Thomas, McIlroy, Cam Smith, and Ludvig Aberg, are the pack of big names hunting down our leader Smalley.

Time for an updated PGA Championship final round leaderboard:

• -6 Alex Smalley
• -5 Aaron Rai, Jon Rahm
• -4 Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Nick Taylor, Matti Schmid

Schauffele’s birdie attempt on two doesn’t land, he had been in the bunker off the tee. Next up it’s Rory with his effort and it’s straight in!

Opening birdie of the day for Rory McIlroy, he’s at -4!

Aaron Rai picks up a shot early on, the English golfer is now at -5 and in solo second, one shot behind Smalley.

McIlroy will have a good look at birdie on the 2nd from five feet, after pitching it close from 63 yards.

Justin Thomas playing from a bunker on the third. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Justin Thomas to take this prize for a third time? He could be in line to set the clubhouse target, his latest birdie arriving on the 15th and that gets him to -4.

McIlroy faces a testing par putt but he drains it and that’ll settle him for a start. Schauffele’s birdie attempt on the first comes to a rest after travelling uphill and he should tidy up for a par. 

Matsuyama and Niemann travelling in the opposite direction, both have dropped shots to slip back to -3.

Maverick McNealy birdies his opening hole to join the crowd on -4.

What of the world number one Scottie Scheffler? He has birdied the par-five 9th but can’t follow it up by sinking a putt on the 10th. He’s at -2 for the tournament.

McIlroy from 127 yards in the rough on the first, but can’t find the green as the ball rolls off the slope at the front.

Opening drive for Rory and that’s drifted slightly right of the fairway on the par-four first. His playing partner Xander Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship in 2024, goes the opposite side of the fairway with his drive. They’re up and running.

A few on the charge.

Hideki Matsuyama has enjoyed birdies on 2, 4, and 5, while also throwing in a bogey on 3 into that run. He’s at -4, as is the 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith and Chilean Joauin Niemann.

All three are -2 for the rounds so far today and leaves eight players in a tie for second, two shots behind our leader Alex Smalley.

Matt Fitzpatrick (file photo). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

A word also for Matt Fitzpatrick, five-under for a round of 65 today to get him to -2. There have also been rounds of 66 for Alex Noren and Casey Jarvis.

So who’s made a move so far today?

Well there’s a bunch that have jumped up to the -3 mark. The standout is Kurt Kitayama, a round of seven-under 63 vaulting him up the leaderboard, seven birdies on a blemish free card.

Justin Thomas, a winner of this tournament in 2017 and 2022, is -3 for his round today and on that mark for the tournament after 11 holes of his final round.

Harris English has picked up two shots in his opening six holes, there’s been early birdies for Chris Gotterup and Cameron Smith, meaning the group on -3 is getting bunched.

Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy’s frustration was obvious on Thursday after the closing run that yielded four consecutive bogeys. He’s repaired the damage with a three-under 67 and a four-under 66 yesterday to leave him on -3.

It could have been even better for McIlroy as he was the co-leader on -4 yesterday after his birdie on the 13th, but dropped a shot on the par-three 17th.

But confidence has got to be high for the back-to-back Masters champion with six Majors to his name. He previously won the PGA Championship back in 2012 and 2014, can he lift the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time? After a T47 finish at Quail Hollow last year, McIlroy is firmly in the mix here.

Shane Lowry (file photo). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

A word on the Irish players. Shane Lowry has finished the week on an upbeat note with a two-under round of 68, the highlight coming with an eagle three on the long 9th. Lowry had two birdies and two bogeys elsewhere on his card.

Rounds of 68, 76, 70 and 68 this week for Lowry – that Friday round was a big setback but he recovered some ground over the weekend.

Padraig Harrington is currently out on the course, he’s level par now for the tournament. He birdied the 2nd but has just bogeyed the 8th.

Some of the key figures of interest are yet to tee off, all eyes of course on Rory McIlroy from this corner.

Here’s the last few tee-off times:

• 6.55pm: Patrick Reed and Maverick McNealy.
• 7.05pm: Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.
• 7.15pm: Aaron Rai and Ludvig Aberg.
• 7.25pm: Nick Taylor and Jon Rahm.
• 7.35pm: Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid.

Evening all and welcome along – it’s final round time for the 2026 PGA Championship, the second Major of the year.

And it’s a final round loaded with potential, a stacked leaderboard at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia as the remaining tee times are about to take place.

Here’s a reminder of the leaderboard:

• -6 Alex Smalley
• -4 Matti Schmid, Nick Taylor, Jon Rahm, Aaron Rai, Ludvig Aberg.
• -3 Kurt Kitayama, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed, Maverick McNealy, Harris English, Hideki Matusyama.