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During Round 4 of the PGA Championship on May 17, there were plenty of options to choose from to predict a winner. Several former major champions. A few up-and-coming PGA Tour stars. Even a couple of players on the LIV Golf tour.
Not many would have picked Aaron Rai.
Alex Smalley, Jon Rahm and Matthias Schmid all held the lead or co-lead at some point during the final round of competition at the 2026 PGA Championship. But when the dust settled in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, it was Rai who emerged above them all, holding the Wanamaker Trophy.
Rai entered Sunday two strokes back of the leader and didn't play particularly well to begin his final round, notching three bogeys and only two birdies through eight holes.
Then, he hit a shot that changed everything.
This eagle on nine after reaching the green in two put him within one stroke of the lead. He followed that up with birdies on 11 and 13, putting him at 7-under.
Rai, 31, had only won once before on the PGA Tour — the 2024 Wyndham Championship. Across 122 career PGA Tour events, he'd only ever finished top-5 nine times. He'd only finished top-10 on 14 occasions. He also hadn't played particularly well at majors, finishing 48th at the 2026 Masters, and only finishing top-20 at one major in 2025.
All that matters is how he performed this weekend though, and he was the best. Here's what to know about the first-time major winner.
Rai lives in Jacksonville and, according to multiple reports, practices out of TPC Sawgrass, the home of the Players Championship. In fact, he made a hole-in-one on the famed island green 17th hole during the 2023 tournament and also had a
Rai joined the PGA Tour in 2022. Since then, he's competed in nine major tournaments. Prior to the 2026 PGA Championship, he'd never finished better than 19th at a major. In fact, he'd finished tied for 19th twice at majors in the last four years — 2024 U.S. Open and 2025 PGA Championship.
Any estute viewers watching Rai this weekend might have noticed some interesting details about how Rai plays golf:
Both of these are uncommon in the golf world. When asked why he used iron covers, though, he had a pretty reasonable answer.
Rai mentions that when he didn't have money or equipment, he wanted to keep his irons covered to ensure they wouldn't go bad. He notes that while he could get new equipment whenever on the PGA Tour, he keeps the iron covers on as perspective on what he has, where he is and where he came from.
And they are here to stay. Rai says, "The covers are going to stay, I'm sorry."
The gloves don't have such a sentimental reason. Rather, it's merely a case of preference for Rai, who began playing with two gloves as a kid to keep his hands warm during cold weather events. Rai simply got used to that feeling and decided to keep using two gloves.
There is no mention of superstition being a factor.
Rai is known as one of the best golfers off-the-tee. While his power is admirable, his accuracy is what impresses most people. He routinely hits fairways in regulation, making him one of the more consistent golfers in the world on courses with narrow, unforgiving fairways.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Aaron Rai? PGA Championship winner makes home in Jacksonville
Continue reading...
Not many would have picked Aaron Rai.
Alex Smalley, Jon Rahm and Matthias Schmid all held the lead or co-lead at some point during the final round of competition at the 2026 PGA Championship. But when the dust settled in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, it was Rai who emerged above them all, holding the Wanamaker Trophy.
Rai entered Sunday two strokes back of the leader and didn't play particularly well to begin his final round, notching three bogeys and only two birdies through eight holes.
Then, he hit a shot that changed everything.
An eagle for Aaron Rai moves him to just one stroke back of the lead heading into his final nine holes
He's looking to become the first player from England to win the PGA Championship in 107 years️ pic.twitter.com/wiLZh4wCCM
— ESPN (@espn) May 17, 2026
This eagle on nine after reaching the green in two put him within one stroke of the lead. He followed that up with birdies on 11 and 13, putting him at 7-under.
Rai, 31, had only won once before on the PGA Tour — the 2024 Wyndham Championship. Across 122 career PGA Tour events, he'd only ever finished top-5 nine times. He'd only finished top-10 on 14 occasions. He also hadn't played particularly well at majors, finishing 48th at the 2026 Masters, and only finishing top-20 at one major in 2025.
All that matters is how he performed this weekend though, and he was the best. Here's what to know about the first-time major winner.
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Where does Aaron Rai live?
Rai lives in Jacksonville and, according to multiple reports, practices out of TPC Sawgrass, the home of the Players Championship. In fact, he made a hole-in-one on the famed island green 17th hole during the 2023 tournament and also had a
When did Aaron Rai join the PGA Tour?
Rai joined the PGA Tour in 2022. Since then, he's competed in nine major tournaments. Prior to the 2026 PGA Championship, he'd never finished better than 19th at a major. In fact, he'd finished tied for 19th twice at majors in the last four years — 2024 U.S. Open and 2025 PGA Championship.
Aaron Rai's oddities
Any estute viewers watching Rai this weekend might have noticed some interesting details about how Rai plays golf:
- He uses iron covers
- He wears two gloves
Both of these are uncommon in the golf world. When asked why he used iron covers, though, he had a pretty reasonable answer.
Aaron Rai has a good reason for using iron coverspic.twitter.com/bWAQlopjpI
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) May 17, 2026
Rai mentions that when he didn't have money or equipment, he wanted to keep his irons covered to ensure they wouldn't go bad. He notes that while he could get new equipment whenever on the PGA Tour, he keeps the iron covers on as perspective on what he has, where he is and where he came from.
And they are here to stay. Rai says, "The covers are going to stay, I'm sorry."
The gloves don't have such a sentimental reason. Rather, it's merely a case of preference for Rai, who began playing with two gloves as a kid to keep his hands warm during cold weather events. Rai simply got used to that feeling and decided to keep using two gloves.
There is no mention of superstition being a factor.
What are Aaron Rai's strengths as a golfer?
Rai is known as one of the best golfers off-the-tee. While his power is admirable, his accuracy is what impresses most people. He routinely hits fairways in regulation, making him one of the more consistent golfers in the world on courses with narrow, unforgiving fairways.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Aaron Rai? PGA Championship winner makes home in Jacksonville
Continue reading...
