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The Economic Times
The Economic Times
Anand Datla

Aaron Rai’s long grind to The Wanamaker

Aaron Rai PGA Rory McIlroy Aronimink Jon Rahm Xander Schauffele Aronimink Golf Club Alex Smalley Cameron Smith Golf

A week earlier, Aaron Rai had been grinding towards a top-five finish in an alternate-event field at Myrtle Beach, his name absent from the elite Signature Event at Charlotte. On Sunday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, that narrative flipped dramatically. The unflappable 31-year-old Englishman delivered a masterclass in composure, firing a final-round 65 to capture the 2026 PGA Championship at 9-under 271, three shots clear of Jon Rahm and overnight leader Alex Smalley.

Sunday's victory was Rai's reward for a quiet grind that began well before he turned pro in 2012, inspired by working-class values, driven by his parents' sacrifices, and fuelled by an insatiable appetite for the hard yards.

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