Aaron Rai wins first major, captures 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink

Aaron Rai won the 108th PGA Championship on Sunday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, closing with a 5-under-par 65 to secure his first major title. The 31-year-old Englishman finished at 9-under 271, three shots clear of Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley, according to the official leaderboard. Rai started the final round three shots back in a tournament that began Sunday with 22 players within four shots of the lead. (pgatour.com) The victory gave Rai the Wanamaker Trophy and a place in tournament history. PGA Tour coverage and other contemporaneous reports said he was the first English-born winner of the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes in 1919. The PGA Championship's official site said Rai was making his 13th major start this week. ### How did Rai take control on the back nine? Rai changed the round at the par-5 ninth, where he holed an eagle putt from about 40 feet after reaching from roughly 260 yards with a 5-wood, according to the PGA Championship's official recap and Rai's on-site comments. (pgatour.com) He had been 1-over for the day through eight holes before that shot. The back nine separated him from the field. The official championship recap said Rai birdied the 11th from 4 feet, birdied the 13th from 7 feet, added another birdie at the par-5 16th and then made a birdie putt of nearly 70 feet at the par-3 17th. (pgatour.com) PGA Tour coverage said he one-putted seven straight greens during the stretch when he moved ahead. ### Who finished closest to him? Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley tied for second at 6-under, the official leaderboard showed. (pgachampionship.com) Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and Matti Schmid shared fourth at 5-under, while Rory McIlroy, Cameron Smith and Xander Schauffele were among those tied for seventh at 4-under. Rory McIlroy closed with a 69, and PGA Tour coverage said he played the par 5s in even par for the week and made bogey on the reachable par-4 13th in the final round. Rahm, McIlroy and Schauffele all had chances late before mistakes or missed birdie opportunities left Rai clear, according to the same report. (pgachampionship.com) ### Why was this win historically notable? The PGA Tour's report on Sunday said Rai became the first English-born player in more than a century to win the PGA Championship, with Jim Barnes in 1919 the previous English winner. (pgachampionship.com) Other same-day reports described the gap as 107 years. The official result is that Rai is the first English winner of the event since Barnes. The 31-year-old also was described by AP-derived coverage carried on local outlets as the first player of Indian heritage to win a men's major championship. (pgatour.com) That reporting said Rai joined Vijay Singh as a major champion of Indian heritage more broadly. ### How much money did the championship pay? The 2026 PGA Championship purse was a record $20.5 million, according to Golf Channel's payout report and other same-day payout coverage. (pgatour.com) CBS Sports and other outlets reported the winner's share for Rai at about $3.68 million, with some outlets listing the figure as $3.69 million because of rounding. The increase from last year's $19 million purse was $1.5 million, Golf Channel reported. (wpxi.com) The PGA Championship site listed Rai first on the final leaderboard at 9-under, confirming the result tied to those payout reports. ### What did Rai say after winning? Rai said in post-round remarks carried by AP-derived coverage, "To be here is outside my wildest imagination." The PGA Championship's official recap also quoted him describing the eagle at the ninth as a boost after earlier bogeys, saying he was focused on speed on the long putt. (golfchannel.com) The official championship recap said Rai called the eagle putt "definitely a bonus" after bogeys at Nos. 6 and 8. (golfchannel.com) His comments there described a round that turned when he reached the ninth in two and converted from long range. ### What comes next after Aronimink? The next men's major is the U.S. Open, scheduled for June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York. Rai will arrive there as the reigning PGA champion after his breakthrough at Aronimink on May 17. (pgachampionship.com) (wral.com)