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England's Rai Takes the 2026 PGA Championship | Aronimink
2026 PGA Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE - Aaron Rai “staged a flawless, late-round surge to win the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. The 31-year-old Englishman fired a brilliant 5-under-par 65 in Sunday’s final round. He finished at 9-under overall to secure a three-stroke victory over runners-up Jon Rahm of the LIV Golf circuit and Alex Smalley,” noted Golf Channel in its coverage of the major tournament with the surprise winner.
The monumental win marks Rai’s first career major championship. It also breaks a streak of 10 consecutive American winners at the tournament. Rai cemented his name in history as the first Englishman to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy in the stroke-play era, with the nation’s last victory coming from Jim Barnes in 1919.
Rai entered the final round in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, trailing Smalley, the overnight leader, by two shots. After early stumbles on the front nine left him looking like a long shot, a spectacular 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth turned his entire week around.
The eagle sparked a legendary run, during which Rai one-putted seven consecutive greens to snatch the lead. He completely separated himself from a powerhouse leaderboard by playing his final 10 holes in a scorching 6-under par. The final exclamation point came at the par-3 17th, where Rai drained a 68-foot birdie putt to lock down the championship.
2026 PGA Championship | Final Leaderboard
Full Leaderboard (link)
Note: The PGA of America, which owns and operates the PGA Championship, controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. PGA TOUR LIVE coverage will resume next week at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
PGA Championship | What They’re Saying
Rai Rises to the Top (ESPN)
Rai Emerges from the Pack (PGATourCom)
Points and Payouts from the PGA (PGATourCom)
CBS Sports HQ / Golf - (CBS Sports)
Sporting Goods and Golf Industry News
Two Gloves on Rai (Golf Week)
Rai’s Golf Clubs (7 years old) (GolfCom)
Rai Withdraws from CJ Cup/Byron Nelson (ESPN
Power Rankings After the PGA Championship (PGATourCom)
On This Day in Golf History
May 18, 1947 - Ben Hogan won the second-ever staging of the Colonial National Invitational, repeating as tournament champion after shooting a final round (69) to beat Tony Penny by one shot. - Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE
Parting Putts
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