Aaron Rai has reached another level in the professional game in 2026.
Before the start of this season, Rai had three DP World Tour wins and one PGA Tour victory to his name.
However, he will end 2026 as a major champion.
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Aaron Rai produced some sensational golf down the stretch at Aronimink in May as he stormed to victory at the PGA Championship.
Rai’s PGA Championship win was the culmination of many years of hard work on his game.
He deserves all the praise he has received for his form in 2026. However, there is one concern about Rai’s mentality that reared its ugly head during the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.
Aaron Rai only has himself to blame after failing to win at Wentworth
The thing is, Rai is an incredibly consistent golfer.
He rarely makes mistakes and is an old-fashioned ‘plodder’, so to speak.
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The 31-year-old Englishman gets from point A to point B without doing anything too flashy.
However, Rai has to sit back and ask himself what he actually wants to achieve in his career.
Does he want to amass a fortune by consistently earning top 10 finishes? Or does he want something more?
Does Aaron Rai want to gain a reputation of being a consistent winner? If he does, he had better start changing his approach once he gets into contention, especially in the big events.
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
The man from Wolverhampton proved back in May at Aronimink that he is more than capable of stepping up when he needs to, after he played his final 10 holes in six-under par to win the PGA Championship.
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That’s why the way he played the final two holes at Wentworth on Sunday was so baffling.
Aaron Rai’s defensive approach cost him the BMW PGA Championship
An extremely defensive tee shot on 17 forced him to lay up rather than go for the green in two on the par-five and he eventually made a par.
His decision to lay up on the 18th hole was even worse. Rai had just 210 yards to the front of the green for his second shot, and 234 yards to the pin.
He easily could have reached the green, but chose to lay up and once again, he made a five.
The 2026 PGA Championship winner ended up losing by two strokes, as J.J. Spaun stormed to victory.
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However, if he had been more aggressive over the final two holes at Wentworth, rather than trying to protect a high finish, he may well have forced a playoff at the very least.
Aaron Rai must learn a lesson from the way he finished up at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday, if he wants to become a regular winner, of course.
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