NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Sometimes when it comes to winning majors, you absolutely just have to go out and win them. Aaron Rai did exactly that Sunday at the PGA Championship — while everyone else was stuck in neutral, Rai went all gas. He was 6 under for his final 10 holes and his 5-under 65 was the second-lowest final round by a PGA Championship winner in the event’s history.
Rai’s story has been long told. Growing up in a working-class family, Rai’s parents kept his clubs delightfully clean after every round — using baby oil, even. He said multiple times on Sunday he wouldn’t be where he is in this game without the support of his parents. Even though he said he didn’t really mix with other junior golfers, there was never pressure to try to conform.
Rai used iron covers to keep them looking pristine. He still hits the ball using two gloves because that’s just what feels natural to him. In an era of men’s professional golf where the biggest names in the game are obsessed with money – where it comes from and who gets more — it was refreshing to see such a humble champion.
“You won’t find one person on property who is not happy for him,” Rory McIlroy said.
Rai may be slightly unheralded to the common golf fan, but he had a solid-enough resume coming into the week. Rai won the Wyndham Championship for his first PGA Tour title in 2024 but has three DP World Tour titles — two of which came in playoffs over Tommy Fleetwood. This was far and away his best finish at a major — prior to this week he hadn’t even had a top-15 result at one of the game’s big four events — but he was a model of consistency at majors, this being the ninth straight one he made the cut at.
Rai’s skill profile wasn’t really one built for Aronimink Golf Club, so you’ll be forgiven if he didn’t sprint to the top of your favourites’ list. He’s recorded just one top-10 finish so far this year on the PGA Tour — coming last week at the alternate-field ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic — and sits 117th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting and 140th in driving distance. This week, however, Rai was fifth in strokes gained: putting, averaged 310 yards off the tee, was fourth in driving accuracy, and ninth in greens in regulation.
Rai just kept giving himself chances — and converting. He finished first in the field in birdie conversion percentage. If he had a chance to add a circle to his scorecard, he did, more often than anyone else.
Rai’s day turned around when he nailed a 39-foot eagle bomb on the par-5 9th. The leaderboard continued to be bunched and Rai was sitting at 1 over for the day before he rolled in the big bird — and he was off to the races from there. Rai was only the third golfer in recent history to go 6 under for his final 10 holes and go on to win a major adding birdies on Nos. 11, 13, 16, and then an epic 68-footer on No. 17 to close the door of this championship.
That was the second-longest putt made by anyone all week.
“That putt on 17 was incredible,” Rai said. “I was just trying to focus on speed and get it close. It started to look really good, line-wise, with probably about 15 feet to go. Slowed up really nicely and it just kind of conspired all together for that ball to go in the hole.
“Incredible putt and a real bonus to see that one go in.”
One by one the challengers began to either drop off or run out of holes.
Jon Rahm and 54-hole leader Alex Smalley ended up tied for second at 6 under. Rahm started his day with back-to-back birdies but added just one circle to his scorecard on the back nine. Smalley had a turbulent final round, his undoing coming early with a double bogey on the par-4 6th. He made an eagle on No. 16 and a birdie on No. 18, but it was too little, too late.
Justin Thomas – who teed off almost three hours before the leaders – was amongst those at 5 under and tied for fourth, with McIlroy – gunning for his second major of the year – a shot further back at 4 under and tied for seventh.
So, there were big names all around at both the beginning of Sunday and through the afternoon of the Philadelphia suburb. But the man with the two gloves and the blue-collar upbringing outperformed them all. An Englishman won the first two editions of this major, in 1916 and 1919, but none since – until Rai on Sunday. It was an honour, he said, to add his name to that list. And he was quick to say the only reason why he could have done it was because of his parents.
“It’s probably hard for me to really express everything that I feel towards them. I think I’ll get way too emotional to speak,” Rai said. “I would love to share this with them. It would be amazing if they were here. I can’t put into words how much they’ve done in terms of the support, in terms of the care, in terms of love. Again, I wouldn’t be here without them at all.”
The common thought, it seemed, was that Rai is one most committed workers on the PGA Tour. Xander Schauffele recalled a time at the Scottish Open where Rai finished a putting session at 9 p.m. and was in the gym 45 minutes later.
Matti Schmid, who finished tied for fourth, said Rai was “maybe the most hard-working guy on tour.”
“He does everything so deliberate. He practices with so much intention. I think he does a lot of things the right why, and that’s why he’s the winner today,” Schmid said.
“It definitely feels like a journey,” Rai said. “Everyone playing in the field this week has a great journey to be able to share and I’m no exception to that.
“It’s a really long journey to even get to compete at major championships at events like the PGA. To be standing here, though, it still hasn’t sunk in for sure. Amazing journey.”