Aaron Rai is a contender in the final round of the 2026 PGA Championship, the PGA of America major championship in Philadelphia this year at Aronimink Golf Club. If Rai is able to track down the title, it would be his first major championship win.
Rai is 31 years old, and he has status on the PGA Tour this season after winning two seasons ago on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship.
However, for Rai, his journey to the PGA Tour is a remarkable story.
Rai was born in Wolverhampton, England. He did not play college golf in the United States.
Rai is hitting his prime
Aaron Rai has won at every level, including as an amateur and after he turned pro in 2012 after high school. He got to the PGA Tour, in part, thanks to success on the DP World Tour, which includes two wins.
Rai has won six times internationally, including three times on the European Challenge Tour in 2017.
Entering this week, Rai was 108th in FedEx Cup points and ranked 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He earned his way into this event through his status on the PGA of America points list for the PGA Championship.
In his personal life, Rai is married to Gaurika Bishnoi. He is a true story of a player who got to the top in golf without having a wealthy family to pay for it all. As such, he has headcovers on his irons, and he also wears raingloves when he plays, even when it's not raining.
What a win at the PGA Championship means
With a win today, Rai would earn the benefits of being a PGA Championship winner, including berths into the PGA Championship for life and into the other majors, including The Players, for the next five year. He would gain fully exempt status for the remainder of this season and the next five after that. And, according to the 2026 PGA Championship payout, he would win $3.69 million to top it all off.
