To those out there surely wondering who on earth Aaron Rai might be, know this: He’s the hero this year’s PGA Championship was lucky to have.
He was a clear and worthy winner who conjured an indelible moment of magic, sinking a 68-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to lock up his first major in what was a major upset. It was a feel-good story. Rai is one of the hard-working, humble, well-liked players who toiled for years in pro golf without recognition on the biggest stages.
All of it made for a nice surprise in the end.
Because, for four days, it’d looked as if Aronimink Golf Club wasn’t about to permit such delights.
Until Rai’s brilliant back nine and 9-under-par finish, there hadn’t been much appealing about this PGA Championship. Unless you are charmed by hours of pro golfers missing fairways and long birdie putts, forever playing it safe on approach shots to hole locations that were – to borrow Scottie Scheffler’s word – “absurd” in their difficulty.
That wasn’t a coincidence. To explain, let’s go back a couple of years:
In 2024, Bryson DeChambeau equaled the existing, all-time PGA Championship records for 72-hole total score and score versus par – and he didn’t lift the Wanamaker Trophy. At a record-setting 21 under, Xander Schauffele edged DeChambeau by one stroke at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, winning a PGA Championship that played easier than most random tour events. It was kind of embarrassing for a major.
At Aronimink, a lovely course near Philadelphia, there were fears of the same. Amid forecasts of low scores like 2024, organizers went out and beefed up Aronimink. The rough was thick, and the pins were brutal when paired with the course’s rugged, rolling, heavily sloped greens.
Nothing wrong with a stern setup for a major, but there’s a fine line in golf between a course that’s naturally a great test for pros (see Augusta) and a course being tricked up to be a great test.
The difference was a PGA Championship where the cream couldn’t rise to the top.
While average was plentiful, good was rare. And great? Nearly impossible. At least two-dozen golfers entered the final round with a realistic shot to win, and yet none – until Rai – was doing anything down the stretch to deserve to beat the 5 under score that Justin Thomas had been posted hours beforehand.
Not Scheffler (-2), who couldn’t make enough putts. Not Masters champ Rory McIlroy (-4), who couldn’t make enough birdies. Not even LIV’s Jon Rahm (-6), who probably should’ve won. But Rahm, too, fizzled after a strong start to his final round, finishing tied for second.
One by one, for days, all challengers – famous or not – kept stepping up and dropping back again.
“A bunched leaderboard like this, I think it’s a sign of not a great setup,” McIlroy told reporters at Aronimink after the second round. “… Because it hasn’t really enabled anyone to separate themselves. It’s easy to make a ton of pars, hard to make birdies.”
World No. 1 Scheffler, who said these were the most difficult pin locations he’d witnessed on the PGA Tour, echoed McIlroy’s thoughts: “I think a lot of times you see the scores get so close together it may not be as good of a test.”
This tournament was slow and tedious. It was kind of like a muddy football game that ends 6-3 and neither offense can muster a first down, much less a touchdown.
A tough watch.
Except for Rai’s finishing stretch.
Even for golf enthusiasts, Rai would’ve been a deep cut. A solid player, no doubt, but an Englishman who wasn’t seriously considered for the European Ryder Cup team last year. Winning the PGA moved him from No. 44 to No. 15 in the world golf rankings, changing his career forever.
Best part was Rai deserved it. This was there for the taking as much as any major could be, and when no one else proved capable, Rai went and shot 6 under in the final 10 holes. Good for him. Good for all of us.
An underdog success story always goes down smooth and satisfying. This PGA Championship was fortunate to enjoy such an aftertaste.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who is Aaron Rai? The golfer who saved a tedious PGA Championship