Aaron Rai – image PGA of America

English golfer Aaron Rai’s stunning three-shot victory at this week’s PGA Championship is perhaps not the surprise that it might have appeared on initial glance.

The understated 31-year-old began the year in 23^rd place in the world ranking, but his win this week has moved him to 15^th, surpassing his previous best of 22^nd when winning the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship two years ago.

Of Indian and Kenyan heritage but England-born, although now Florida-based, Rai turned professional in 2012 and graduated to the then European Tour in late 2018 after a successful season on the Challenge Tour, where he won three events. Soon after he won the Hong Kong Open, where he held off amongst others Matt Fitzpatrick and added a Scottish Open not long after.

Rai played events on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour’s finals where he finished runner-up in one event and thus gaining access to the 2022 PGA Tour.

He has steadily built his resume in the US, but he also played events on the DP World Tour where he won the 2025 Abu Dhabi Championship. In both Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi he defeated Tommy Fleetwood in playoffs to secure the wins.

His wins on the PGA Tour included his win at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro and now this coveted major title, becoming the first Englishman in to do so but he has also developed into a very consistent performer in the US including numerous top tens in addition to his now two wins.

Rai’s season to date on the PGA Tour had been dismal with not one top 20 in eight starts until an encouraging 5^th place in last week’s alternate event in Myrtle Beach, where he finished 5^th after trailing by one heading into the final round.

It appeared just the boost he needed as he attempted his 4^th PGA Championship.

Rai trailed by two heading into today’s final round, but in a round of 65 highlighted by a 40-foot eagle putt at the 9^th, where he took the lead, he drew clear over the closing stages with a final nine of 31 and the three-shot victory, capped off with yet another huge putt for birdie at the last.

Rai is very much a family man and enthused about the support he has been given by his wife, herself a former professional golfer, and his parents, who have played such a big role in his development as a golfer.

His wife, Gaurika Bishnoi, has been a real sounding board as he has built his success.

“She’s been incredible,” said the champion. “I’m not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn’t be here without her. Both as a companion, as a friend, as someone I’m sharing my life with, but also as a real support system for my game.

“She’s a professional golfer herself. So her mindset, her advice, her thoughts, whether it’s technique or the way I’m holding myself is absolutely invaluable. She encompasses so many different sides in her opinions.

“We even had a conversation yesterday for probably 30 minutes in the car just before we got back to the hotel, just speaking a little bit about today. Again, some of the things that she mentioned in the conversations were really with me today.

“Yeah, I really wouldn’t be here without her.”

His parents, too, earned a special mention in his post-tournament media conference.

“It’s probably hard for me to really express everything that I feel towards them. I think I’ll get way too emotional to speak. Yeah, starting with my dad, he was with me every day that I went to practice from the age of 4, 5 years old. He actually quit his job and started to focus on my golf from a really young age.

“I used to read a lot about golf. He used to be really active in everything he did with me around the game. My mom has been absolutely incredible as well. She works extremely long hours to just provide for the house, really, especially with my dad also not working as much. So she did a lot of things, and her support has been phenomenal.

“Obviously, I would love to share this with them. It would be amazing if they were here. I can’t put into words how much they’ve done in terms of the support, in terms of the care, in terms of love. Again, I wouldn’t be here without them at all.”

A question was raised about his reputation as a nice guy and being so kind to all of those he crosses paths with.

“I think a lot of that has come from upbringing, my mom, my dad, my siblings. Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age, but my mom and my siblings were very fast to continue to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things away from golf.

“And that was consistent from a very young age, from the age of 5, 6 years old. I think, as I’ve continued to develop as a junior, as an amateur, as a professional, golf in itself is an extremely humbling game.

“There’s so much hard work and discipline that goes into acquiring the skills to become better, but you also realize that nothing is ever given in this game at any point, whether it’s a tournament, whether it’s a practice round, whether it’s even away from a tournament week. All of these things have to be done diligently and require focus.”

Rai advances into the top 15 in the world and will no doubt now have played his way into calculations for next year’s Ryder Cup team in Ireland.

“I try not to consciously focus on it too much. These things are always around, whether it’s Ryder Cup, whether it’s the next event, whether it’s the next major. So those are things that you can never completely ignore, but I try not to focus on them as real motivations to push me forward.

“I hope to continue to move in a pretty similar way in terms of practice, training, application towards the game, and we’ll see where that takes me.”

Min Woo Lee in action on the greens today – image PGA of America

Australasians are well placed at the halfway stage of the PGA Championship in Philadelphia, with five of the eight who started the event within four shots of the lead as the second major of the year enters the weekend.

It is the first time since 2012 at Kiawah that no player is as many as 5-under par or better through 36 holes of a PGA Championship.

Min Woo Lee leads the charge at 3 under and just one behind the joint leaders, Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy, but Jason Day, three from the lead and Cam Smith, Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier four back, have kept alive their hopes of a significant finish.

Lee began the day tied for the lead at 3 under with six others, but through 10 holes had slipped to 1 under before birdies at the 11^th, 15^th and 16^th before missing the green at the 17^th and taking bogey. He was, however, able to par the last and finish with a round of even par 70, and he shares third place and one from the lead.

Yeah, not as in control as yesterday, I would say,” said Lee when asked to describe his round. “But happy with the grind. I did lose it a little bit out there just in the middle part. There’s some tough holes out there. But it’s very easy to get your mind spiralling, but you can’t do that at a major championship.

“So made sure Shane, my caddie, and I had to regroup and thought I played the last seven, eight holes pretty good. But, yeah, the scores are showing that it’s a very tough course.

“I just like the way this course shapes up for me. You have to drive it really well, and I have been driving it really well. Approach play is a lot better. The chipping and putting’s not too bad too.

“So I think just becoming a lot better player over the last year, I would say, definitely matured, but the game has matured as well, and that’s where we wants to be. Hopefully, we can keep going when the circumstances become tougher, especially at a major.”

Lee is one of six players at 3 under and just one off the lead but, such is the congestion on the leaderboard, 29 players are within four shots of the lead and so Lee has a big task to not only push ahead over the final 36 holes but to watch his back also.

Jason Day jumped out of the blocks with two birdies to begin his round, but he would drop shots at the 9^th and 12^th holes. At 1 under par, however and, just three from the lead, he is very well placed in pursuit of his second win in this championship.

Cam Smith recorded three birdies and four bogeys in his round of 71 to be at even par and just four off the lead, and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox recovered from a slow start to his round to finish with a round of even par and be at that same score for his opening 36 holes.

Daniel Hillier has done well in his first attempt in the event to make the cut and be just four from the lead at even par heading into the weekend. Hillier, who appears to be building some rather substantial platforms in his career of late, produced an eagle from 40 or so feet at the 10^th, and despite a bogey at the last, the final stages of this event could well highlight his capacity to compete at this high level.

Elvis Smylie sat on the cutline for much of the day after his early start on day two, but late in the afternoon, it became clear that his score of 4 over would see him through to the final 36 holes, which is a significant achievement in itself.

Adam Scott and Travis Smyth will both miss the weekend.

Of the leaders, both are well credentialed PGA Tour players, McNealy having won one event and recorded numerous top-three finishes, while Smalley has yet to win but has numerous second-place finishes to his name thus far.

The real threat, however, would appear to come from the logical favourites Scottie Scheffler, who finds himself just two from the lead after his round of 71 today.

Scheffler was unable to build any momentum during today’s second round after dropping three shots early, but he did enough to be just two shots from the lead and very much still the man to beat despite his frustration in the way the course was set up today.

“This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on TOUR, and that includes U.S. Opens, that includes Oakmont. I did ask, I asked Fooch, who caddies for Justin Rose. He’s been around a long time — and I asked Teddy too — have you seen anything like this before? They said maybe Shinnecock is the only place they have seen that has pins that could compare to this.

“But it’s different in a sense on this golf course, because Oakmont, their greens are extremely severe, but they’re extremely severe in one direction. Here, it’s like the green may slope all this way, and then we put the pin down here and then there’s also a slope this way. And like it’s not as, how would you say, natural to the slopes that are there. There’s a bit more, I think, that’s manufactured into the greens, and it’s just very difficult.

“It’s difficult to get the ball close to the hole. It’s difficult to hole putts, especially when you have big slopes and wind, and I think that’s why you see the scores so close to par.

Rory McIlroy appeared to play himself out of the tournament on day one, but with a second-round 67, he has let everyone know that, on a golf course such as this, he is certainly not out of it at 1 over and just five back.

“It’s been hard to make birdies out there because obviously, one, the wind the last couple days, but also where they have put these hole locations, I feel like they have really tried to protect the course the first couple of days. So it seems like they have used up a lot of the really hard ones.

“So, depending upon a little bit calmer conditions and maybe a couple more favourable hole locations, I think guys that are just here for the weekend I think everyone’s got to feel like they have got a chance. Yes, it’s bunched, but you get on a run with wedges on that front nine, and you shoot 4-, 5-under and all of a sudden you’re right in the thick of things.

“At five back, I do feel like I’m right in the tournament, and that’s really what I wanted to do today was to just get myself back in it, and I feel like I’ve done that.”

Leaderboard

Scottie Scheffler talks to the media on Tuesday – image PGA of America

This week’s PGA Championship will see world number one Scottie Scheffler chasing his second PGA Championship title, world number two, Rory McIlory, his third, world number three Cameron Young, his first, and Brooks Koepka, his 4^th.

These are but a few of the intriguing stories surrounding the Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia this week, Jordan Spieth’s bid for victory, also a bid to complete the Grand Slam and join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy as the six golfers to win the professional Grand Slam of major titles.

Scottie Scheffler’s five-shot win over Bryson De Chambeau, Harris English and Davis Riley at Quail Hollow last year is one of four majors the still only 29-year-old has to his name, and like Spieth, he will attempt to complete the Grand Slam, although that must wait till next month’s US Open.

Scheffler has not only won this title but also been runner-up when second to Brooks Koepka in 2023. The Texan’s recent form suggests another major title is very much on the cards, having finished runner-up in his last three PGA Tour starts.

“I think it was last week my wife was like, Hey, Scottie, you’re like the first guy in PGA TOUR history to have three solo runner-ups in a row,” said Scheffler when asked if those finishes were glass half full or half empty.

“I’m like, yeah, it’s probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those, he didn’t come second in all three.

“A little bit of it is bittersweet. Finishing second in a golf tournament is not bad, but, I mean — especially in the way I did it in a couple of them. I was spotting guys so many strokes going into the weekend.

“So just different things. Overall, yeah, I’d say a little bit bittersweet. You know you’re playing good golf, and you’d love to get some wins. Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you’re looking at things to work on, there’s a lot less to clean up when you’re finishing 2nd than there is when you’re finishing 30th.”

Rory McIlroy during his Tuesday presser – image PGA of America

McIlroy won his second major title and first PGA Championship when winning by eight at Kiawah Island in 2012 and won again at Valhalla in 2014, but in the past 11 years, he has had a best of only 7th. In the form he is in at present, including his second Master’s title, another showdown between he and Scheffler is a mouthwatering prospect.

McIlroy has played sparingly since the Masters, a 19th-place finish at Quail Hollow enough to get his game ticking over again.

“It’s a much more condensed schedule than it used to be,” said McIlroy, explaining his schedule. “We used to go from April to the end of August. It’s now April to the middle of July.

“So it’s condensed, and you have to — I think that’s why I need to — especially after the last couple of years, I need to take the time after the Masters to reset and decompress and get myself in the right mental space again to get myself up for this tournament and keep going for the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

“Obviously, there’s some tournaments in between those as well. Yeah, I think I came into this tournament last year a little bit sort of uncertain of what my future was — just like I conquered this thing that I wanted to conquer for so long, and I was a little bit — you know, I still hadn’t really reset goals or found whatever that motivation was to keep going or go forward and set myself goals for the rest of my career. It probably took me a good few months to get to that point.

“As I’ve said, like last week, coming into this tournament feels a lot different than what it did last year. I feel like I’ve got some nice clear road ahead to try to get some more of these majors.”

Cameron Young – during practice this week – image PGA of America

Cameron Young has become almost Scheffler-like, given his amazing run since the start of 2026. He has jumped from 19^th to 3^rd in the world ranking, courtesy of wins at the Players Championship and the Cadillac Championship and third-place finishes at the Masters and the Arnold Palmer Championship.

Young has yet to win a major championship, but he has been runner-up in two and 3^rd placed in two, and given the manner in which he has been playing of late and the associated confidence it brings, it would be no surprise to see him collect a ‘major’ breakthrough this week.

Young’s father was a long-serving member of the PGA, and as such, the event has even greater meaning for him

“The PGA Championship, for our family is a great week. My dad was a PGA of America professional forever. I kind of embraced the whole package of that. He was at a great club in New York, worked on the rules committee. So, yeah, this week is special for us.

Unfortunately, he never qualified for the tour, but he was a very good player and had a number of chances to throughout his career. Yeah, it’s a cool one for us just given his connection.”

Young was asked his feelings about his current success; “I think any time you have to wait for something, it makes it better, you know. I think it would be — in a sense, it would be harder if I had won a couple times early and then went a long time without winning.

“Now I feel like to have kind of had several years build up to now, winning a couple times pretty quickly, it makes it feel pretty good.

“I mean, to have gotten through what was at times quite frustrating and come out on the other side of it a better golfer and to have my name on a couple trophies to show for it definitely feels good.”

Jordan Spieth – a PGA Championship away from a Grand Slam – image PGA of America

One player on whom there will be a lot of attention this week is Jordan Spieth, whose previous wins at the Masters, the Open Championship, and the US Open leave him on the verge of a Grand Slam if he were to find a way to contend. Admittedly, that might be easier said than done, given there has not been a top ten in PGA Tour events for over a year, but he has missed only one top ten in 12 starts this season, so his game appears to be coming around after a long time in the relative wilderness.

“I feel good about where my game is at,” said Spieth. “I wish I got a little bit more out of the last couple weeks, but I kind of know what got off now and how it fix and I’m spending the next few days working on that.

“I feel like I’ve been driving the ball really well which is a nice premium. I feel like that puts me in a position to contend here versus maybe when I hadn’t been in other PGAs. The driver has to be a weapon in the PGA Championship. So if I can continue on the path that I’ve been on, then that leaves me with plenty of opportunities.”

“So as far as the career Grand Slam, this tournament’s always highlighted. If I can win one more tournament in my life, it would obviously be this one for that reason. But the easiest way to do that is to not try to, in a weird way, you know.

“My game has been getting better and better. It’s plenty good to have a chance to win. It’s about working my way into contention. I was able to do that a couple of weeks ago. Being in the last couple of groups this weekend, the first time this season. Glad I was there, and hopefully I can do that week and do better.”

Brooks Koepka – chasing an amazing 4th PGA Championship – image PGA of America 

Brooks Koepka is chasing a remarkable 4^th PGA Championship title in his last nine starts, having won in 2018, 2019 and 2023. Since his return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf at the start of 2026, he has shown enough to suggest a 4^th PGA Championship title is not the long shot it might have been a few months ago, and few would deny the already five-time major champion, another.

TEE TIMES

Lucas Herbert reacts to a holed birdie putt at the 15th today – image LIV Golf League 

Victorian Lucas Herbert has led virtually from wire to wire to win his first LIV Golf League event and, in doing so, earned, in addition to the US$4 million first-place cheque, a start at next month’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

The US Open appearance will be the second major Herbert has played his way into in 2026, having earned an Open Championship start courtesy of his runner-up finish to Daniel Hillier at the New Zealand Open in March.

The USGA introduced a new qualifying category last year for LIV Golf, which included the leading three golfers, not otherwise exempt, from the LIV Golf standings

Herbert will miss out on a start at the PGA Championship next week, but was clearly delighted with his outstanding performance on a demanding golf course at the Trump International in Virginia.

29 birdies and an eagle sprinkled through his scorecards for the 72 holes, and although a double bogey at the 9^th today saw his lead reduced to just one when his nearest chaser, Sergio Garcia, birdied the 10^th, he steadied the ship with birdies at the 11^th and 12^th and eventually won by four over the Spaniard.

Bryson De Chambeau finished alone in 3^rd place.

Herbert was delighted to learn of his qualifying for Shinnecock Hills.

“Yeah, there were so many things that came with winning today. I just wanted to focus on what I was doing and then spend this moment now figuring out what comes with it.

“That’s a nice added bonus. My first major ever was at Shinnecock. Nice to go back and see what I’ve learned since then. Can’t wait to get there and try to play like I did this week.”

When asked what he would take out of his win, Herbert replied;

“Probably that I can perform pretty damn well when things aren’t perfect. I was pretty sick all week, and I woke up this morning probably feeling worse than I did the last few days. I had Sergio coming at me for 36 holes really hard, and he pushed me the whole way, made me earn that one.

“I didn’t doubt myself. I missed a few putts here and there and made it a contest late. But after the rain delay, the way I played those eight shots, I’m so proud of that. I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone tonight.”

Leaderboard

The finishing hole at the Aronimink Golf Club – image PGA of America

This week’s PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club, just west of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, brings together an eclectic mix of not only the world’s best golfers but 20 Club Professionals from the 2026 Club Professionals Championship.

It is generally considered one of the strongest fields in men’s tournament golf and, importantly, in this era of disruption in professional golf, the event provides access to several leading players in LIV Golf, in addition to most of the game’s 100 world-ranked golfers.

The numerous eligibility criteria bring 154 players to yet another Donald Ross-designed layout, first conceived in 1926 but opened a couple of years later.

The venue has hosted several PGA Tour events, but this year’s PGA Championship will be the second staged by the club, the first being the 1962 event won by Gary Player.

Australasians in the field are here for the following reasons.

Jason Day – Former Champion and top 70 on the PGA Tour money list since the 2025 PGA Championship (on May 4)

Min Woo Lee – Top 70 on the PGA Tour money list since the 2025 PGA Championship (as at May 4)

Adam Scott – Top 70 on the PGA Tour money list since the 2025 PGA Championship (as at May 4)

Cameron Smith – winner of the 2022 Open Championship

Ryan Fox – Top 70 on the PGA Tour money list since the 2025 PGA Championship (as at May 4) and a winner on the PGA Tour in the last 12 months.

Daniel Hillier – deemed worthy of inclusion by the PGA of America due to performances internationally.

Elvis Smylie – deemed worthy of inclusion by the PGA of America due to performances internationally.

Travis Smyth – Top 3 on the OWGR International Federation Ranking List (as at April 27)