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One by one they fell. And there were many of them.
A tightened leaderboard heading into the final round Sunday at Aronimink surely meant there would be chaos late, with the lone survivors all doing what they could to win the PGA Championship and get their respective hands on the Wanamaker Trophy.
It didn’t turn out as most thought.
Proven heavyweights Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas were among the contenders. None of them won. Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid made up the unlikely final pairing with a combined zero PGA Tour victories and little major championship experience. Neither won.
RELATED: The incredibly charming story of the first time Aaron Rai met Tiger Woods
In the end, it was England’s Aaron Rai who struggled through the first eight holes Sunday in one over to find himself three shots off the lead, then unleashed a wonderful 10-hole blitz that had the Philadelphia gallery going bonkers late.
Yes, 31-year-old Aaron Rai, No. 44 in the world, with one PGA Tour victory to his credit, stood strong down the stretch and calmly, smoothly and patiently won his first major championship in this, only his 13th major start. The man who wears two gloves and uses iron covers shot 70-69-67-65 to shoot nine-under 271 total and captured the PGA Championship by three shots.
Rai eagled the par-5 ninth hole to spark his comeback. Birdies followed at 11 and 13 to put him squarely in the mix, then he made consecutive birdies at 16 and 17 to slam the door shut. It was a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th, but a massive bomb from 68 feet on the par-4 17th effectively handed him the goods. He’s the first international player to win the PGA since Jason Day won in 2015. There had been a streak of 10 straight American victors.
Speaking of Americans, it looked like for most of the afternoon that Justin Thomas would have a chance to win his third PGA title. He went out early Sunday and shot 65 to get to five-under total and was the leader in the clubhouse for four hours. Xander Schauffele made two bogeys early in the back nine Sunday to take him out of contention. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler battled a balky putter for three of four days at Aronimink. He tied for 14th place and now will head to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills looking to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rahm and Cameron Smith both gave it a go, trying to prove that playing on LIV Golf has done nothing to diminish their respective chances of contending in majors. The Aussie Smith, the 2022 British Open champ, shots consecutive 68s on the weekend and tied for seventh place. Rahm, the two-time major champ who is LIV’s best player this season, made bogeys on Nos. 3 and 7 but otherwise played well to stay in contention. He finished in a tie for second place with Smalley, the 54-hole leader.
“We compete to win, and it was nice to get the heart rate up and, you know, feel your hands and your legs get a little bit jelly,” Smith said. “It was cool.”
RELATED: Here's the prize money payout for Aaron Rai and everyone at the PGA Championship
McIlroy did not win his second consecutive major for one simple reason: par-5 play. There are only two par 5s at Aronimink, so McIlroy had eight chances to do damage. But the six-time major champ played them in even par all week. He shot 69 on Sunday and tied for seventh place.
But none of that matters now. Rai’s late surge fended off all comers in a town that is known for, among other things, Rocky Balboa. Rai didn’t take any body shots over four days from any of his fellow competitors, but he did handle everything that Aronimink threw at him.
He’s calm, cool and collected. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion, or at least, he didn’t Sunday after tapping in for par on the 18th hole. But there’s more to the man than that.
“He's such a nice guy,” Schauffele said. “All world gentleman, no doubt.”
And now a PGA champion.
MORE GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
PGA Championship 101: Answering all your frequently asked questionsHow to watch the 2026 PGA ChampionshipPower Rankings: Every player in the PGA field, rankedWhy the PGA at Aronimink is a great fit for Philly’s everyman sports cultureWhat tour pros do before a major to prepVideo: Every hole at AroniminkBryson’s uncertain futureThe crazy story of Walter Hagen and the lost Wanamaker TrophyThe most ‘PGA’ moments in PGA Championship history
Continue reading...
A tightened leaderboard heading into the final round Sunday at Aronimink surely meant there would be chaos late, with the lone survivors all doing what they could to win the PGA Championship and get their respective hands on the Wanamaker Trophy.
It didn’t turn out as most thought.
Proven heavyweights Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas were among the contenders. None of them won. Alex Smalley and Matti Schmid made up the unlikely final pairing with a combined zero PGA Tour victories and little major championship experience. Neither won.
RELATED: The incredibly charming story of the first time Aaron Rai met Tiger Woods
In the end, it was England’s Aaron Rai who struggled through the first eight holes Sunday in one over to find himself three shots off the lead, then unleashed a wonderful 10-hole blitz that had the Philadelphia gallery going bonkers late.
Yes, 31-year-old Aaron Rai, No. 44 in the world, with one PGA Tour victory to his credit, stood strong down the stretch and calmly, smoothly and patiently won his first major championship in this, only his 13th major start. The man who wears two gloves and uses iron covers shot 70-69-67-65 to shoot nine-under 271 total and captured the PGA Championship by three shots.
Rai eagled the par-5 ninth hole to spark his comeback. Birdies followed at 11 and 13 to put him squarely in the mix, then he made consecutive birdies at 16 and 17 to slam the door shut. It was a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th, but a massive bomb from 68 feet on the par-4 17th effectively handed him the goods. He’s the first international player to win the PGA since Jason Day won in 2015. There had been a streak of 10 straight American victors.
Speaking of Americans, it looked like for most of the afternoon that Justin Thomas would have a chance to win his third PGA title. He went out early Sunday and shot 65 to get to five-under total and was the leader in the clubhouse for four hours. Xander Schauffele made two bogeys early in the back nine Sunday to take him out of contention. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler battled a balky putter for three of four days at Aronimink. He tied for 14th place and now will head to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills looking to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rahm and Cameron Smith both gave it a go, trying to prove that playing on LIV Golf has done nothing to diminish their respective chances of contending in majors. The Aussie Smith, the 2022 British Open champ, shots consecutive 68s on the weekend and tied for seventh place. Rahm, the two-time major champ who is LIV’s best player this season, made bogeys on Nos. 3 and 7 but otherwise played well to stay in contention. He finished in a tie for second place with Smalley, the 54-hole leader.
“We compete to win, and it was nice to get the heart rate up and, you know, feel your hands and your legs get a little bit jelly,” Smith said. “It was cool.”
RELATED: Here's the prize money payout for Aaron Rai and everyone at the PGA Championship
McIlroy did not win his second consecutive major for one simple reason: par-5 play. There are only two par 5s at Aronimink, so McIlroy had eight chances to do damage. But the six-time major champ played them in even par all week. He shot 69 on Sunday and tied for seventh place.
But none of that matters now. Rai’s late surge fended off all comers in a town that is known for, among other things, Rocky Balboa. Rai didn’t take any body shots over four days from any of his fellow competitors, but he did handle everything that Aronimink threw at him.
He’s calm, cool and collected. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion, or at least, he didn’t Sunday after tapping in for par on the 18th hole. But there’s more to the man than that.
“He's such a nice guy,” Schauffele said. “All world gentleman, no doubt.”
And now a PGA champion.
MORE GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
PGA Championship 101: Answering all your frequently asked questionsHow to watch the 2026 PGA ChampionshipPower Rankings: Every player in the PGA field, rankedWhy the PGA at Aronimink is a great fit for Philly’s everyman sports cultureWhat tour pros do before a major to prepVideo: Every hole at AroniminkBryson’s uncertain futureThe crazy story of Walter Hagen and the lost Wanamaker TrophyThe most ‘PGA’ moments in PGA Championship history
Continue reading...
