Aaron Rai is the newest major champion after a thrilling close Sunday to capture the 2026 PGA Championship.
And as Xander Schauffele tells it, the process to becoming a major champion has been a long time coming for Rai.
Schauffele, who won the PGA in 2024 and is a two-time major champion, was asked about Rai on Sunday after finishing T-7 at Aronimink and told an incredible story of the behind-the-scenes work that helped Rai to his biggest victory.
“Rarely do you see people work really hard. I mean, that’s not fair. Rarely do you feel like people work way harder than you,” Schauffele said. “I feel like I’ve played a pretty good amount of time, and Aaron is always there. He’s always in the gym. He’s always on the range. He’s always — you know, at the Scottish, I’m staying right on site there. I thought it was fun for Austin (Kaiser) and I to go putt. Aaron is finishing up his little putting session at 9:00 p.m. and going to the gym at 9:45
“This was 3 years ago. I think that’s what it’s about to be a major champion. You puts the work in when nobody’s looking. Super pumped for him and his team.”
Those little moments add up, and Schauffele put it beautifully when talking about Rai’s ascension at Aronimink.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Championship 2026: Xander Schauffele on Aaron Rai’s work ethic