Professional golfer Aaron Rai believes his disappointing performance at the Myrtle Beach Classic last month, where he dropped from the lead to fifth place, actually played a crucial role in preparing him for his later PGA Championship victory.
The 31-year-old Englishman is now drawing on those same experiences as he gets ready for this week’s Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Speaking at Tuesday’s press conference, Rai explained how valuable the Myrtle Beach experience proved to be. “That experience at Myrtle Beach was absolutely invaluable for the PGA, and I’m not sure I would have handled the situation as well as I did at the PGA if I hadn’t experienced it the week before at Myrtle Beach,” he stated.
The English golfer highlighted that being in the final group at Myrtle Beach was particularly beneficial, since he hadn’t been in that position for at least five months beforehand. He described the experience as “huge.”
Rai also pointed to specific challenges during his final round that better prepared him for his breakthrough major championship win. “Bits from the crowd, bits from a couple of mistakes that I made in the midsection of the round. I think I made four bogeys in a row around the turn. I think just kind of where my mind went, certain things that I could have dealt with better, I was very aware of even on the Saturday of the PGA,” he explained.
He emphasized how the recent timing of that experience made it easier to make necessary adjustments. “I think when you’ve had that experience so recently before, it’s a lot fresher in the mind and it’s a lot easier to make those adjustments. So, yeah, that was crucial, really,” Rai said.
Looking ahead to this week’s competition, Rai expressed enthusiasm about returning to Muirfield, describing it as one of his preferred venues on the professional tour. “It’s an absolutely incredible event, a course that I absolutely love,” he commented. “Very demanding. I think it requires a complete game no matter what your skill set is, whether you’re a little shorter, whether you’re a little longer, whether you’re straight, whether the short game is good. It requires everything to be successful around this event.”
This marks Rai’s fourth tournament appearance at Muirfield. While he achieved a T26 finish in 2022, he failed to make the cut in both 2023 and 2025.
Reflecting on his previous struggles at the venue, Rai acknowledged the course’s difficulty but expressed confidence in his improved preparation. “Certainly after playing it a little bit more, it definitely requires a little bit more understanding, and I probably haven’t done as good of a job as I could in terms of my preparation, especially last year,” he said, referring to his 9-over-par performance that included rounds of 79 and 74.
“I think just trying to approach it a little bit better. Got here slightly earlier this week as well in order to do so. And to just learn from a couple of the mistakes that I’ve made in previous years,” Rai added.
Rai faces stiff competition from two-time defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who claimed victory last year with a 10-under finish, defeating Ben Griffin by four strokes.
