Aaron Rai emerges from the pack to win PGA Championship with the final round of his life at Aronimink

Heading into Sunday's last information of nan 2026 PGA Championship, it felt arsenic if it was anyone's game, because it practically was. An unprecedented 21 players were wrong 4 shots of 54-hole leader Alex Smalley, but it was Englishman Aaron Rai who managed to abstracted from nan battalion astatine Aronimink and not look backmost en way to becoming a awesome champion.

Rai, who entered nan week classed 44th successful nan world, came retired of nan gates connected Sunday firing, but aft making a four-foot birdie putt connected nan opening hole, he quickly fell into nan inevitable agelong each subordinate faced during nan last information successful having to enactment diligent and return what nan play people was giving him.

Aaron Rai of England tees disconnected connected nan 2nd spread during nan last information of nan PGA Championship astatine Aronimink Golf Club connected May 17, 2026 successful Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) (David Cannon/Getty Images)

After a mediocre tee changeable connected nan difficult par-3 8th hole, and past airmailing nan greenish pinch his bunker shot, disaster quickly came into nan equation, but nan 31-year-old managed to person a four-foot putt for bogey. It was 1 of those bogeys that was a momentum saver, and nan momentum was utilized connected nan very adjacent hole.

Rai reached nan gettable par-5 9th spread successful 2 and sank a 40-footer for eagle. It was a bully prize heading into nan backmost nine, which played arsenic nan hardest broadside passim nan week, but Rai didn't subscribe to that communicative connected Sunday.

As nan full section and play tourney arsenic a full fell into neutral for what felt for illustration aggregate hours pinch nan last groups making nan turn, Rai stepped connected nan gas.

Aaron Rai of England hits his 2nd changeable connected nan 16th spread during nan last information of nan PGA Championship astatine Aronimink Golf Club connected May 17, 2026 successful Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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After picking up different birdie connected nan par-4 11th, it was his birdie connected nan 299-yard par-4 13th that he whitethorn look backmost connected arsenic the moment.

Left pinch a very dicey bunker changeable from 40 yards, Rai had nan action of playing it comparatively safe and leaving himself 20 aliases truthful feet up nan elevation for birdie. Or, he could alert nan play shot to nan spread and bring successful a slope falling distant from nan spread conscionable beyond nan flag. He didn't hesitate and walked disconnected nan greenish pinch yet different birdie and a two-shot advantage.

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Despite nan 13th spread being drivable for each subordinate successful nan field, Rai's birdie really picked up a changeable connected plentifulness of nan contenders connected Sunday. Nick Taylor, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele each made bogey connected nan hole, while Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, and Smalley weren't capable to return advantage of nan short spread either.

Rai officially put a manus connected nan doorway to slam unopen by reaching nan par-5 16th spread successful 2 and making 1 of nan much comfortable birdies you'll ever see, and officially slammed it unopen pinch a 68-foot birdie putt connected nan par-3 17th.

Rai played his last 10 holes successful six-under par and without a blemish connected nan scorecard earlier signing for a 65 and a three-shot triumph astatine nine-under overall.

The five-under information marked his lowest people successful a awesome title by two. A awesome title Sunday for nan information of your life is typical stuff.

Rai being nan past man opinionated among nan likes of Ludvig Aberg, McIlroy, Rahm, Reed, and Schauffele — who each began nan time wrong 3 shots of nan lead — has a emotion of randomness astir it, which was nan taxable for nan week astatine Aronimink.

Aaron Rai of England acknowledges nan crowd connected nan 18th greenish during nan last information of nan PGA Championship astatine Aronimink Golf Club connected May 17, 2026 successful Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Entering nan week, nan astir communal prediction was that players were going to beryllium capable to prime isolated nan Donald Ross-designed play course. A deficiency of trees and h2o hazards made measurement for a bomb-and-gouge approach. Or truthful we thought.

Rai began nan week classed 160th connected nan PGA Tour successful mean driving distance, and vanished nan week classed 66th successful driving region among nan 82 players who made nan cut.

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While Rai is known for being among nan shortest hitters connected nan PGA Tour, he's besides made a wont of being an incredibly streaky putter. The flatstick is often a villain for Rai, but it was his champion mate passim nan week arsenic he vanished 4th successful nan section successful strokes gained connected nan greens.

With his victory, Rai became nan first non-American to hoist nan Wanamaker Trophy since Australian Jason Day did truthful successful 2015, and nan first European to find nan winner's circle astatine nan PGA since Rory McIlroy successful 2014.