Aaron Rai won the US PGA Championship a couple of months ago. Meantime, Pablo Larrazábal has missed nine consecutive cuts this season. When the two crossed paths on the range at The Renaissance Club on Monday, a brief conversation stayed with Rai long enough to act on.

Both players are competing at the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club this week. The DP World Tour confirmed the story on July 9 via its official X account, sharing a video of both men discussing the gesture after their opening rounds.

Rai explained what prompted the note. "He's won nine times and been one of the strongest players on the DP World Tour for 15 years now," Rai said. "I thought, those periods can be extremely difficult for anyone, let alone someone who has been as successful as what he has. I just felt like it'd be a nice little bit of encouragement to write a little note for him."

The note included four printed photographs. Larrazábal's first victory, his Abu Dhabi win in 2014, and his two most recent wins in 2023 and 2024. Rai's brother-in-law helped choose the photos and had them printed at the clubhouse.

The note read, "Pablo, the guy in these pictures is you and is much closer to the present you than you think. Keep fighting, keep working hard, and most importantly, keep believing in each tournament, in each round, and each shot. Best wishes, Aaron Rai."

Larrazábal found the note in his locker on Tuesday afternoon. He shared a video on Instagram and spoke to the DP World Tour about it.

"To receive a note like that make me very happy that I've been doing the right things around for the last 19 years," he said, according to a report by the European Tour. "Aaron is not only one of the best players in the world, he's a true champion, and that's how they were when I got in love with this game 40 years ago."

Larrazábal's words reflect a season that has tested him in ways few outside his camp fully appreciate.

Pablo Larrazábal And His Streak That Tested a Champion

The 43-year-old's run of nine consecutive missed cuts began at the Magical Kenya Open in February. 

His last paycheck before that streak came at the Qatar Masters in early February, just €12,121.24. At the KLM Open in early June, playing through a marathon 26-hole Friday after weather delays, he was three under through 11 holes and eyeing the leaderboard.

Then he found water at the third. Made a double bogey, four-putted the fifth from two feet, and missed the cut again. "It doesn't matter how many golf tournaments you've played in your career. I started shaking," he said. "This is how tough this game is and how ugly it gets sometimes."

The golfer eventually ended the streak at the DS Automobiles 83° Open d'Italia. It's where a first-round 66 gave him a visible moment of relief.

He then missed the cut at last week's BMW International Open before arriving at The Renaissance Club. Larrazábal has reunited with former coach Roman Taya, a former Spanish amateur champion, in a bid to reset, splitting with his psychologist and returning to basics. The Scottish Open is his 18th appearance at the event.

What do you think about Aaron Rai's gesture to Pablo Larrazábal? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham