Alex Smalley has turned the PGA Championship into a breakout stage. Through three rounds at Aronimink Golf Club, the 29-year-old holds a two-shot lead at 6-under after a third-round 68. He has played consistently well and, on a board that is usually dominated by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, has stood out as an underdog. It is the first 54-hole lead of his PGA Tour career.
Very few fans knew his name before this and after such a performance, most want to know more than just his name. Everyone is curious whether he will be accompanied by a special someone if he lifts the Wanamaker trophy on Sunday.
Well, he definitely has someone. The golfer is dating Chelsea Groves, Duke University’s director of social media. The relationship news surfaced on Instagram in November, when Groves posted a photo and wrote, “In the season of feeling grateful.”
The couple has kept everything else about their relationship under wraps, but judging by how Groves’s sister Riley responded to the reveal, Smalley is well acquainted with their family.
He was asked on Saturday whether his girlfriend would be accompanying him before the final round and he avoided answering that question. Smalley said his dad flew in to watch him.
“My dad flew up this morning from Greensboro. So he came in this morning,” he said. Smalley wants little unwanted publicity for Groves.
More About Alex Smalley’s Girlfriend, Chelsea Groves
Groves has her own strong sports background. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sports media from Butler University and built early experience by contributing to the Bulldog Blitz, then reporting on Butler baseball, men’s and women’s golf and other programs.
Her career has since moved steadily upward. Groves joined Duke Athletics’ creative services team in 2022 and now serves as director of social media. Duke says she manages the day-to-day operations of the school’s social platforms, oversees the creative services staff and runs the men’s and women’s golf accounts.
Groves previously worked at Stephen F. Austin as director of digital and social media and earlier as assistant director of strategic communications.
Smalley is also an alumnus of Duke University and that became the point of overlap between the two lovebirds.
Alex Smalley’s Career so Far
GettyAlex Smalley acknowledges the crowd during the third round of the PGA Championship.
Smalley turned pro in 2019 after he graduated from Durham and entered the 2026 PGA Championship with three previous appearances in the event. His best finish in the championship before this week was a tie for 23rd in 2023 at Oak Hill. He made his PGA Tour debut by qualifying for the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
There is also a family thread to his golf career. His parents, Terry and Maria, have caddied extensively for him. After joining the Tour in 2022, he has played in 140 events and made 85 cuts. Smalley has earned more than $10 million in prize money from golf.
Taken together, the picture is clear. Smalley is not only playing the best golf of his career, but he is doing it with a private but real relationship in the background and a partner who understands the demands of sports media.
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