Golfer's Mom Tracks Every Shot on Path to PGA Lead

While most moms watch nervously from the sidelines, Maria Smalley sits at golf tournaments with her phone out, recording club selections, wind directions, and distances to the pin for every single shot her son Alex takes.

Her dedication is paying off in a big way. At 29 years old, Alex enters Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club with a two-shot lead, the best position of his professional career.

Maria started this meticulous tracking during Alex's senior year of high school and never stopped. She followed him through his college days at Duke, into his professional career starting in 2019, and now to the doorstep of what could be his first major championship victory.

"I do his business stuff, I do his stats," Maria explained during the 2023 John Deere Classic. "It helps to keep me focused so my head's not racing and I'm not just going crazy."

Golfer's Mom Tracks Every Shot on Path to PGA Lead

Her notes aren't casual observations. Maria records the same detailed information that professional coaches track: exact yardages, club choices, wind conditions, and shot outcomes. She's also accumulated thousands of videos over the years, archived carefully on her phone.

The depth of her record keeping recently helped when Alex's coach needed footage from five years ago. Maria had it ready to send.

Sunny's Take

In 140 PGA Tour starts, Alex has made 85 cuts and earned 15 top-10 finishes, but he's never been in this position. Leading a major championship requires nerves of steel, and knowing his mom is there with her phone and spreadsheets might be exactly the comfort he needs.

This week at Aronimink, his putting has been exceptional. He leads the entire field in strokes gained on the greens by a wide margin through three rounds.

Sunday's final round will test whether years of maternal devotion and statistical tracking can help guide a relatively unknown golfer to one of the sport's biggest prizes. Win or lose, Maria will be there recording every moment, just like she's done for over a decade.