Seventy-one holes into a challenging PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, a champion finally emerged.
It was 31-year-old Englishman Aaron Rai with an unlikely 68-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th that seemed to separate him from the pack for good, paving the way for a par on the 18th and Rai’s first major title.
“It was a true major championship setup in terms of how difficult it was, how penalizing it was, but it also rewarded you for good play,” Rai said following his win.
Alex Smalley had the solo lead at Aronimink after 54 holes, but Sunday saw much of the same as the three rounds prior: a crowded leaderboard and a Wanamaker Trophy just waiting to be claimed.
Kurt Kitayama made a charge early. Starting the day at 4 over — too far out of it to win — Kitayama still cemented his name in the major championship history books after tying the lowest final-round score in major history with a 7-under 63.
Then came two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas, who was within striking distance. Thomas came from seven shots behind to win in 2022, and he came close in Pennsylvania, firing a 5-under 65, but that ended up only being good enough for T-4.
Finally came Rai.
Widely respected by his peers but relatively quiet and reserved, Rai only broke through for his first win on Tour at the 2024 Wyndham Championship. He started this week shooting an even 70 and slowly rose the leaderboard, following with rounds of 69 and 67.
Through eight holes on Sunday, Rai was 1 over after three bogeys and two birdies, but things shifted on the par-5 ninth, where he carded an eagle — what proved to be the catalyst to a difference-making back nine.
Three birdies later, Rai was presented with that 68-foot putt. He had already put a couple stroke buffer between him and the rest of the leaderboard, but there were groups a few holes behind him — he couldn’t afford to drop a shot after landing a long way from the pin.
A two-putt for par seemed like the best case scenario, but Rai read it perfectly. The ball raced toward the hole, slowing up with just a few feet to go and dropping in to the roar of the crowd.
It ended up being the defining moment of his biggest win to date.
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Rai has struggled much of the season so far, largely due to nagging injuries in January (low back) and February (neck), but he found something in his three starts prior to the PGA, starting with a solo 48th at the Masters. He followed with a T-24 at the Zurich Classic — where he was paired with Sahith Theegala — and a solo fifth at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic.
“Zurich Classic was probably the first event in a good three months that I felt fully healthy,” Rai said Saturday after his third round. “Then had a great run of practice from just before the Zurich till just after, which has certainly shown last week and showing some good signs this week.”
Rai ranks fifth on Tour in driving accuracy and 15th for greens in regulation %. That accuracy was on display at Aronimink, especially in the final round.
He identified the 16th, 17th and 18th holes as particularly challenging on Saturday and tackled them with ease on Sunday, shooting 2 under to close.
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If you’re not familiar with Rai, he hails from Wolverhampton, England and only joined the PGA Tour in 2022 after playing other tours since he turned pro in 2012.
Rai has two signatures: he wears two gloves and uses iron covers for his clubs.
Winters in England were cold, especially as a kid playing golf, so he started wearing two gloves and just never stopped.
As for the iron covers, Rai grew up in a working-class family. When he was able to get an expensive set of clubs as a kid, Rai’s dad, Amrik, would clean every groove with baby oil and a pin after practices to keep them in top condition.
“The reason that I do it now is to remember what I came from and to also respect the things that I have,” Rai said in a recent interview with ESPN.
Now Rai is the first English-born golfer to win the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes won the first two tournaments in 1916 and 1919. He also snapped a 10-year streak of American players hoisting the Wanamaker.
And how does on celebrate such a monumental achievement?
“He’ll probably have Chipotle,” Rai’s wife, LET player Guarika Bishnoi, chimed in during his post-tournament press conference.
“I do love Chipotle on the road,” Rai admitted. “So we’ll probably go to Chipotle.”
