Aaron Rai won’t forget his week at the PGA Championship in a hurry after producing a shock win at Aronimink.
Rai surprised everyone by claiming his maiden major championship title in Pennsylvania, which he did via a three-shot win.
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He finished his hugely impressive week on nine-under, producing a final round five-under 65 to see off Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley.
And among those gaining credit for his stunning success at Aronimink is Tiger Woods, who has won the PGA Championship four times in his glittering career.
Aaron Rai overjoyed to emulate Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship
Asked after his victory to discuss the VHS tapes of legendary figure Woods that he used to watch as a child, Rai said: “I don’t think we still have the tapes, but we used to watch them a helluva lot, probably two, three times a week, if not more.
“That would have been when Tiger was probably in his… we used to watch videos of his US Amateur wins and then his early professional career.
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“I think obviously he’s such an icon and such a huge figure in the game even though, but at that point, even more so that this was someone who was superhuman, who was very much someone that I really idolized.
“I just remember being in awe just watching all of the things that he could do. So, yeah, to have my name even with him on this trophy is incredible really.”
Rai was also asked if he had any other sporting heroes, to which he replied: “Honestly Tiger was the main one really. Yeah, I used to love soccer as well growing up.
“I support Manchester United. Cristiano Ronaldo was so good for a long time. So I would probably say Tiger Woods and Ronaldo growing up.”
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Aaron Rai responds when asked if he felt pressure to conform in golf
Golfing royalty Woods, a 15-time major champion, clearly represented a fantastic role model for Rai growing up.
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But the Englishman is very much his own person, particularly when it comes to his unique approach on the course.
Rai uses iron covers and wears two gloves, both of which are very rare in the sport.
When asked if he felt pressure to conform, especially as a junior, and how he was able to double down on being himself, he said: “That’s a great question.
“I think my dad played a really big role in that. For the most part, it was just the two of us who used to go onto the golf course and practice together, probably up until I was 13 or 14.
“So I think he was very much an advocate to really just stay in your lane, focus on the things that you can do.
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“And I didn’t really mix with a lot of other junior golfers, which didn’t give me a perspective of what was normal.
“So I think he kind of sheltered me to be able to develop in a way that made sense for me, in a way that I guess was a little bit unique with two gloves, with iron covers, et cetera.
“I think by the time he probably allowed me to play more kind of club golf, play professional golf, I felt like I was strong enough in why I did certain things to be able to continue to move that forward.
“I knew the reasons why I do them. I believe in the reasons why I do them. So I had no reason to really shift from that as I got older. So yeah, that’s probably the main reason behind it.”
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Clearly a very humble human being, Rai is certainly a very popular winner this week, and is fully deserving of his success.
And such success has been very rare, with the 31-year-old representing the first Englishman to win the PGA Championship in 107 years, and the first non-American winner in 10.
Read more:
What Aaron Rai figured out about Aronimink that Rory McIlroy shockingly didn’t
Ian Poulter reacts on social media immediately after Aaron Rai wins the PGA Championship
Jon Rahm reveals what he’s heard a lot about Aaron Rai after his PGA Championship win
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