Alex Smalley shoots season-low 63 after pledging to hurricane relief in North Carolina

Alex Smalley grew up in North Carolina. He still resides there and has made plenty of trips to Asheville and the mountains. He’s seen the news reports of the devastation and destruction of Hurricane Helene throughout the state and wanted to do something. Do anything.

It was the least he could do.

And then Sunday he went out and shot his best round of the season.

Smalley wrote on Instagram earlier in the week that he would pledge, over the next three weeks, $100 for each birdie and $250 for each eagle towards the relief efforts. Smalley made five birdies and carded two eagles in Sunday’s around alone, including a hole-out deuce on the par-4 second, en route to a 9-under 63.

His previous low round of the season was a 64 at the ISCO Championship. It was one shot off his career low on TOUR, too.

“For sure it's a huge confidence builder," Smalley said. "Any time you can shoot 9-under it always feels good. To be able to do it on a Sunday ... I don't know if I'll have a chance to win, but being pretty high up on the leaderboard, finishing like that, it's a great feeling to have.”

Smalley said he was inspired by the actions of other PGA TOUR pros in the past, including Collin Morikawa, who have turned their fine play into donations when a crisis strikes. In his social media post, Smalley alluded to the frequent visits of the affected North Carolinian areas including the Blue Ridge Mountains, which he said he had grown “quite fond of ... their innate natural beauty and their communities.”

“Hopefully these communities will be able to rebuild and one day return to what they once were,” he wrote.

Smalley ended up making 22 birdies this week along with the two eagles.

“I know it might not help out a whole lot because I know a lot of people have lost most of their livelihoods," Smalley said. "If they stayed alive. I know we may never know what the true impact of the storm will be in terms of the death toll, unfortunately. But, yeah, it's the least I could do.

“I’m going to be doing it the next couple of weeks as well. If I can do the same thing I did this week the next couple weeks, we'll have a pretty good charitable contribution to them.”

Smalley came into the week 132nd in the FedExCup Fall but his result at the Sanderson Farms Championship is projected to see him have a hearty jump up the standings.

And a wonderful start to his charitable contribution to North Carolina.