Rampant Rai eases regrets of McIlroy and chasing pack as he runs away with PGA
ALL SMILES: Aaron Rai of England celebrates with The Wanamaker Trophy after winning during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 17, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Pic: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
As Aaron Rai sealed a piece of PGA Championship history with an instantly iconic monster birdie on the 17th hole of Aronimink Golf Club, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele would have heard the roar rumble all the way up ahead to the 18th green.
Beside Rai on the 17th green, Ludvig Aberg tipped his cap. Behind him, Jon Rahm also knew what the cacophony meant. Across the Philadelphia parkland there were plenty more who probably felt similar emotions to McIlroy and the rest of the contenders: a little relief and a bit of weight lifted off so many shoulders.
A historically jam-packed Sunday leaderboard at the year’s second major became an increasingly stodgy war of attrition which meant there was room for a historic amount of regret too. Perhaps even two dozen of the world’s best and brightest would leave wondering how this closer-than-close one had slipped away from them.
That was until Rai relieved a chunk of that misery by blazing his way home to become the first Englishman in over a century to raise the Wanamaker Trophy. The 31-year-old from the Midlands moved himself into a new stratosphere as he added the 108th PGA Championship to a modest trophy collection, just one PGA Tour victory before this Sunday to remember.
UNBELIEVABLE FROM AARON RAI. 🤯
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2026
He drains a 70-footer at the 17th to move to 9-under and open up a three-shot lead with one hole to play.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/9CLcqoVXJ7
After three and three-quarter days when separation was an impossible thing to find in Pennsylvania, Rai raced clear of the rest by playing his last 10 holes in 6-under, carding a closing 65 to finish on 9-under overall three clear of those who came closest but in the end didn’t get close at all.
Jon Rahm was next on the leaderboard on 6-under, alongside overnight leader Alex Smalley. An eclectic trio were next in a tie for fourth, longtime clubhouse leader Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and German Matti Schmid. Back in a tie for seventh on 4-under was McIlroy, alongside Schauffele and Cam Smith, fellow major winners who surely had their chances on the front nine when everything still felt so fluid.
McIlroy’s tilt at becoming the first man in over a decade to take home the first two majors of the year looked solid as he approached the turn just a couple back. When he sent a missile of a drive down the long ninth he looked primed to pounce. It was 379 yards and not far off an optimum spot to attack for an eagle to put him atop the leaderboard. Instead he laboured his way to par, the par-5s of Aronimink proving a code McIlroy couldn’t crack all week.
The second hugely consequential moment came on the drivable par-4 13th when he wound it up too much, got his swing wrong and sent it a mile right into wretched rough. Two chops out and two putts left him with his first bogey of the day.
“I think not birdieing the two par-5s and making the bogey at the drivable par-4 13th,” McIlroy pointed to afterwards. “To me I felt like I played the golf I needed to play the rest of the way. If I birdied the two par-5s and turned that 5 into a 3 on 13, the day looks very different.
“Even though, look, Aaron is getting away from the field a little bit and looks like he's going to win, which is great. You won't find one person on property who's not happy for him. But looking back on today's round, I would say those three holes.” There was a bounce-back birdie on the next thanks to a 23-foot putt but Rai was now on the charge. Things threaten to briefly get ugly when down the side of long 16th McIlroy chopped from rough into the bunker and fans’ chirps, including some USA chants, got to him. McIlroy turned to tell them to “shut the f*ck up”.
McIlroy has tinkered with his schedule this season in the wake of a second Masters triumph on the spin. He revealed he will take another break from tour now before returning at the Memorial in three weeks ahead of another week off before the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. Essentially then, he will play just once in the next month before another major week arrives. Given how miss then hit then miss again his driver has been this week, it will be interesting to see how the big stick fares at the Memorial.
A walk worth the wait for Aaron Rai! 🏆#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/cbbSfAHEZT
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2026
For Rai, primarily known for his knack of wearing two black gloves as well as using iron head covers, this was a triumph which completes a remarkable journey to major winner status. As far as defining moments to seal a moment in time go, his birdie on the 17th did just fine. On the giant ridged bowl of a green flanked by a pond on one side and stands on the other he sent a 88.5-footer snaking up and around to drop in the hole and spark that huge roar.
"It's very surreal," Rai said after raising the Wanamaker on the 18th green. "To be stood here is outside of my wildest imagination. Golf is an amazing game. It teaches you so much humility and discipline. I definitely wasn't trying to hole that putt [on the 17th]. The shadow of the pin gave a really nice line for the last 10 feet but it was so long...it was amazing to see that one go in."
Padraig Harrington created his own little piece of history with a scintillating closing run of eagle-par-birdie, enough to get him to 1-under overall and see him finish in a tie for 18th. In the process he became just the third man aged 54 or older to finish inside the top 20 at a PGA Championship. The other two: Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. Nice company to be keeping.
Shane Lowry finished on a positive note with a 2-under 68 but will leave with plenty of mixed emotions after finishing in a tie for 44th. For Lowry and so many fellow Europeans, the rise of Rai brings another potential rival into the mix 16 months out from next year's Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.
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