NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania – English golfer Aaron Rai captured his first major championship title with a spectacular final-round performance at the PGA Championship on Sunday, shooting a brilliant 65 at Aronimink Golf Club to claim the Wanamaker Trophy.
The 31-year-old golfer entered the tournament as a massive 300-1 longshot and began Sunday’s final round among 43 players within five strokes of the lead, including several well-known competitors.
Rai maintained his focus under pressure, recording four birdies during the final nine holes, highlighted by a remarkable 68-foot putt for birdie at the 17th hole. His victory makes him the first golfer from England to capture the PGA Championship in 107 years.
“There’s so many different things that you face, whether that is in the game, whether that is acquiring the skills, putting the time in that is required, facing all the setbacks that come along with it,” Rai reflected after his victory.
“It is certainly a roller coaster to get to these points, and a week like this, an achievement like this, certainly makes it all feel very much worthwhile. It’s an absolute dream come true.”
Two-time major winner Jon Rahm, who finished in a tie for second place, praised Rai as one of the most courteous and respectful competitors on the PGA Tour.
Rai credits his modest approach to life to his childhood in the English Midlands, where he was raised by parents who immigrated from India and Kenya.
“My mom and my siblings were very fast to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things away from golf,” he explained.
The champion also acknowledged his wife, professional golfer Gaurika Bishnoi from India, and his father, who influenced his distinctive practice of wearing two gloves and placing protective covers on his iron clubs – habits that remind him of how valuable his equipment was during his youth.
“My dad was with me every day that I went to practice from the age of four or five years old, he actually quit his job and started to focus on my golf from a really young age,” Rai shared.
“He was very much an advocate to really just stay in your lane, focus on the things that you can do and I didn’t really mix with a lot of other junior golfers, which didn’t give me a perspective of what was normal.”
Fellow competitors consistently described the world number 44 golfer using terms like dedication and perseverance when asked about his character on Sunday.
“There are a lot of guys that work extremely hard … so I think that’s a prerequisite of what is just required to try and compete out here,” Rai noted.
“It’s reaffirming to know that the things that we’re doing are working and they’re leading to continued development within the game. Hopefully I can just continue to move along a pretty similar path moving forwards.”
The last Englishman to win the PGA Championship was Jim Barnes, who claimed the Wanamaker Trophy in 1916 and again in 1919.
“There’s a lot of incredible and historic English players over those 100 years who have had phenomenal careers,” Rai said.
“To be the person that’s the first one in such a long time from England is an amazing thing, and something to be extremely proud of. I’m very proud to be from England (and) I’m very proud of India and Kenya as well … I’m very proud of representing all three, really.”
