Aaron Rai claims maiden Major at US PGA Championship

Aaron Rai won his first Major title at the US PGA Championship with a back-nine masterclass in composure that blew the field away at Aronimink Golf Club.

He entered the final day two shots off the lead and at one over through eight holes of his round, there was little sign of the brilliance to come.

An eagle on the ninth then helped set in motion a back nine of 31 where he simply did not put a foot wrong.

His 68-foot putt for birdie on the 17th will be the most remembered of his 65 blows that got him to nine under and handed him a three-shot victory over Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley.

With victory, Rai becomes just the 14th non-American to lift the Wanamaker Trophy and the first Englishman since 1919 when ‘Long’ Jim Barnes won the second ever US PGA Championship three years after also winning the inaugural contest.

The win is Rai’s fourth on the DP World Tour and first since he won a second Rolex Series title at November’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

His only win so far in 2026 was at the Masters Par Three Tournament alongside wife Gaurika but Major glory now moves him up to fifth on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World.

"It's been a bit of a frustrating season," said Rai, who has struggled with back and neck injuries in 2026. "So to be stood here is definitely outside of my wildest imagination.

"But I think just really good consistency over the last few weeks in terms of practice, body's been feeling great, and really enjoyed the course this week and continued to hold the rounds together as the week went on. Phenomenal to be stood here.

"It definitely feels like a journey. Everyone playing in the field this week has a great journey to be able to share, and I'm no exception to that.

"So much goes into it from being a junior golfer to developing the game to have aspirations of turning professional. Then you realise once you turn professional how good some of these guys are and how strong the level of professional golf is, not just on the PGA TOUR, the DP World Tour, and all the feeders that go into it.

"So, yeah, it's a really long journey to even get to compete at Major Championships at events like the PGA. Yeah, to be stood here, it still hasn't sunk in for sure. Amazing journey."

Spaniard Rahm was the first player to join overnight leader Smalley at the summit on six under as he put an approach to seven feet at the first and then holed an 11-foot right-to-lefter at the second.

Dropped shots at the third and seventh dropped him back, however, and it was German Matti Schmid who emerged as not just the nearest challenger but the leader.

After a bogey on the first, he holed a 15-footer on the second, hit a smart approach into the fourth and then found himself on the right end of a three-shot swing on the sixth.

As American Smalley hit heavy second and third shots to still be short of the green leading to a double-bogey, Schmid holed a 20-foot putt to replace him at the top of the leaderboard.

Rai had hit a stunner to four feet at the first but gave the shot back on the third before making another gain from 20 feet on the next.

Bogeys on the sixth and eighth then threatened to derail his chances before he hit the green at the par-five ninth in two and holed from 40 feet to get within one.

Rahm made a two-putt gain on the same hole to also sit at five under but Rai had found another gear and an exquisite pitch at the 11th set up a birdie and handed him a share of the lead.

Back at the tenth, Schmid found rough off the tee and failed to hit the green in regulation, surrendering a shot as Rai approached the driveable 13th.

The 31-year-old found the sand just in front of the green off the tee and followed that with a beautiful, deft bunker shot to seven feet, with the resulting birdie handing him a two-shot advantage.

Rai looked serene in making routine pars at the 14th and 15th but Schmid got up and down from the sand for a birdie on the 13th to get within one as the leader came to the potentially pivotal par-five 16th.

Showing nerves of steel, Rai hit a perfect tee shot and then put his second to 17 feet, getting down in two for another birdie and to restore his two-shot lead.

That advantage was three as Schmid bogeyed the 15th and then Rai produced a Major moment for the ages, holing from 68 feet on the 17th to take a four-shot advantage up the last.

Rahm would birdie the 16th in a 68 to trim the advantage and Smalley – who had earlier bogeyed the eighth and birdied the ninth, finished eagle-bogey-birdie to sign for a 70.

American Justin Thomas carded a closing 65 to finish four shots off the lead alongside Schmid and Swede Ludvig Åberg, one clear of Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Cameron Smith.

Earlier in the day, Kurt Kitayama equalled the lowest final round in Major history with a 63 that got him to three under alongside Chris Gotterup, Patrick Reed and Justin Rose.