NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai officially won the PGA Championship standing in the players’ dining room at Aronimink Clubhouse. Surrounded by the trappings of Eastern Establishment money — exposed, varnished rafters; hanging chandeliers; club championship plaques dating to 1900 — Rai and wife Gaurika stood quietly chatting with PGA officials. Above them, a television showed Alex Smalley failing to pull off any kind of miracle comeback.
For a player raised in modest circumstances — he still covers each of his irons, a tribute to the way he lovingly preserved the first set of irons his father bought him — it was quite the scene. The thick walls of the Aronimink clubhouse dulled the sound of the nearby grandstands around 18. You could almost forget that a major had just been won in this moment … well, except for the cameras and security team all around the Rais, that is.
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Aaron Rai realistically won the PGA Championship when he tapped in on the 18th to put the final touch on a brilliant 5-under day and a magnificent 9-under tournament. He’d had so many memorable shots — the sand save to set up a birdie on 13, the faded iron on 16 to set up another birdie, the approach into 18 that skirted just past the cup and settled in comfortable two-putt territory.
Playing partner Ludvig Aberg was away, and rolled in a long birdie putt of his own to close out what, in other circumstances, would have been a strong 5-under tournament. Rai looked over at Aberg and called out, “Good shot.”
“He’s so polite. He’s got a putt to win his first major and he still said ‘Good shot’ to me,” Aberg told Yahoo Sports after the round. “He’s still taking time to look me in the eye and say ‘Well done.’ … If there’s one guy I’d love to lose to, it’s probably him.”
It’s a common sentiment, up and down the leaderboard: Aaron Rai is just the best dude.
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“You won’t find one person on property who’s not happy for him,” said Rory McIlroy, who finished five strokes back of Rai.
“I haven’t spent a lot of time with him,” Jon Rahm, who finished tied for second, conceded. “But I have heard consistently there’s very few people that are nicer and kinder human beings than Aaron Rai. Anybody that wears or uses head covers in his irons because he coveted his irons when he was a kid so much that he wanted to respect the equipment so much, and to still do it? … It shows a lot about a person.”
“Rarely do you feel like people work way harder than you,” said Xander Schauffele (T7, -4 for the tournament). “That’s what it’s about to be a major champion. You put the work in when nobody’s looking.”
“I think a lot of that has come from upbringing, my mom, my dad, my siblings,” Rai said after his round. “Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age, but my mom and my siblings were very fast to continue to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things away from golf.”
Aaron Rai and his wife, Gaurika Bishnoi, are seen together, with the Wanamaker Trophy, after the final round of PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 17, 2026 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
(Ben Jared via Getty Images)
Rai knew what was expected of him, and his entire family sacrificed to ensure he had every opportunity to succeed.
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“My dad was with me … every day practice-wise, and he really instilled the importance of work and dedication and trying to consistently build just good, strong habits around the game,” Rai said. “My mom worked extremely hard away from golf. Her jobs, she worked a couple of jobs at one time, at a point in time, and she did a lot of work around the house. My sister took a massive role as well at a young age. She had a job from the age of 14, 15. So there was a lot of consistent messaging of hard work, and that was generally the environment that was there at the house. And that was at the golf course as well.”
And this is the result.
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Aaron Rai spiritually won the PGA Championship when he rolled in a massive 70-foot birdie putt on the 17th that vaulted him to a four-stroke lead on the field. The way that Aronimink was set up, the grandstands and corporate tents that circled 17 fed sound up to 18, and the grandstands there fed it back down again — a massive bowl of good cheer for Aaron Rai.
Up on the 18th green, as the cheers from 17 approached in waves, McIlroy stood leaning on his putter, an impassive expression on his face. He looked over to the enormous screen nearby and watched what he already knew: Rai had effectively just clinched his first major.
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A few minutes later, Rai walked up onto the 18th himself. The Philly fans stood and applauded his approach, and not a “U-S-A” was heard. They’d witnessed greatness on Sunday, and they knew it.
About 25 minutes later, Rai stood in that clubhouse dining room. No players were dining there; none were left. That’s what happens when you’re the last man standing.
The last groups had a few shots left to play, but the outcome was clear. All that remained now was the celebration.
The two French doors to the patio outside and the grandstand beyond opened up, and Rai began his walk through them. Before Sunday, he was best known for being the guy who still wears two gloves to play golf. Now, he’s the major champion who still wears two gloves.
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Rai — who, unfortunately, did not wear two gloves to lift the Wanamaker Trophy — walked through the clubhouse’s doors toward the impending celebration. He didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
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