Aaron Rai etched his name into golf history at Aronimink. A great final round secured the Wanamaker Trophy and left his caddie struggling for words.

The Englishman finished with a score of 9-under par, which helped him win the title by three strokes.

"It's the best golf I've ever seen!" said Rai’s caddie, Jason Timmis.

"Those two shots into 18 and the two best shots I've seen him hit. Lovely drive. Lovely five iron high fade, to 20ft. Making that putt on 17 from 75 feet or so, maybe? I don't know,” he added.

Rai’s 68-foot birdie at the par-3 17th became the second-longest putt made during the championship weekend. A 6-under performance in the final 10 holes made all the difference as he left Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley three shots behind.

The 31-year-old became the first Englishman to win the major in the stroke-play era and the first since Jim Barnes, who won the first two editions.

"We were one over through eight and a little out of the tournament. His putting was probably his strength today which, well, I don't think I've ever said that!” Timmis said.

Rai had three decent rounds, but his closing-round performance of 5-under 65 was exceptional and featured several impressive shots.

Rai's clinical bunker save on the 13th and his bold approach to the par-5 16th proved pivotal in his championship charge.

With the Englishman’s victory, the 2026 season has witnessed two European champions at the first two majors of the season. This has never happened before in the era of the current four major championships.

Rai also broke the streak of American champions at the PGA Championship, who had dominated the major by winning its last 10 editions.

Rai's breakthrough at Aronimink followed a steady climb in the professional ranks.

Rai’s Quest For A Major

Prior to winning the Wanamaker Trophy, Rai had not finished inside the top 10 at any major.

Rai turned professional in 2012, and before this victory, his best finish at a major was T19. He recorded that result at the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

The 31-year-old earned his first PGA Tour title at the 2024 Wyndham Championship, finishing at 18-under par and two strokes ahead of Max Greyserman.

He has also picked up two wins on the European Tour, the 2018 Honma Hong Kong Open and the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav