Aaron Rai could easily be the most grounded, least excitable player in all of golf. So when he describes his breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour as “potentially life-changing” you know it is not just hype.
As well as securing the English golfer a check for more than $1.4million, Rai’s two-shot victory at the Wyndham Championship earned him a two-year extension on his PGA Tour card, and automatic entry into all of its Signature Events in 2025.
Oh, and a first trip to The Masters, a prospect which has even the unflappable Rai fighting to contain his excitement.
But despite all those rewards for his wire-to-wire win in Greensboro, North Carolina, it is a triumph that will never rank as the one he cherishes most.
That distinction belongs to the first of the three Challenge Tour victories in 2017, at the Magical Kenya Open, which earned him only a fraction of his Wyndham winnings - the first prize in Nairobi was a mere 32,500 euros.
That is around one-40th of his Wyndham windfall.
But it was achieved with his Kenyan-born mother, Dalvir, waiting to greet him on the 18th green, on the first trip back to her birthplace in almost 50 years.
The country’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, had arrived at the Muthaiga Golf Club with a few holes remaining after being told ‘one of our own’ was doing something special. And it was Mother’s Day in the UK.
Mother and son both burst into tears as they hugged each other after Rai clinched his three-shot victory. Magical indeed.
Rai, 29, said: “I think in terms of pure golfing achievement, and as a staging post in the whole journey I’ve been on as a professional golfer, the Wyndham win is by far the high point of my career so far.
“It’s incredibly difficult just to earn the right to play on the PGA Tour, never mind win one of their events. When you do get out here, you see just how intense the competition is, and you realise that if your game drops off just a fraction there are dozens of players who will simply lap you.
“So yes, It’s the pinnacle of my golfing career so far. But from a purely emotional point of view, I don’t think anything could ever top my Challenge Tour win in Kenya.
“My mum was born there, but left with her family for a new life in the UK when she was 14. Her flying out to watch me play was the first time being back there for the first time since she left 47 years earlier - I’d better be careful here, because I’m giving away her age!
“It was just an amazing week. Everyone seemed to know about my mum being there, and I had incredible support from the Kenyan people. And there is also a big Indian population there, and with my dad being Indian, they were rooting for me too.
“Because of all that, the butterflies in my stomach were a lot more active than I’d expected, especially walking onto the 18th green. Seeing mum there with a huge smile on her face calmed me though. That moment is something I’ll remember all my life.
“With the Sunday of that tournament being held on Mother’s Day, it was even more poignant. Hugging her and sharing a few tears - a lot of tears actually - was very, very special.
“I can’t help smiling, and getting a bit emotional, just talking about it now, seven years after it happened.
“So yes, that is the one I think I will always cherish most. Even if I go on to win a Major, or Majors, and play Ryder Cup, I don't think I will ever be as proud of what I’ve done as I was that day in Kenya.”
Talking about the possibility of Ryder Cups and Major victories is unusual for Rai. He is determined to keep his feet on the ground despite breaking into the world’s top-20 for the first time this year, and finishing in the top-25 in the FedEx Cup rankings.
Asked what the future could hold, he replied: “Look, this year has added a completely new layer to my career, taken it to a new level. And to be honest, it all happened so quickly that I’m still struggling to take it in.
“Even before I won, this was guaranteed to be a very good year. Runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a T7th at the John Deere, and a share of fourth at the Scottish Open in the two months before the Wyndham were excellent performances.
“I’d had another T4th at the Byron Nelson and another seventh-place finish in Houston in the first half of the season. But, otherwise, I was playing good rather than great, so I couldn’t have expected things to work out quite as well as they did in the second half of the year.
“To actually win a PGA Tour event is huge. It really is potentially life-changing. It opens so many doors, and it’s confirmation that my game is still moving in the right direction.
“And it makes such a big difference for planning a schedule, knowing I’m in all the Signature Events, not to mention The Masters. Augusta - wow! It’s so much easier to ensure I’m not over-played, or under-played for that matter.
“I’ve already spent a lot of time planning my 2025 schedule - the timing of my weeks off, arranging runs of events where I can hopefully get into a rhythm, and picking events on courses where I’ve felt most comfortable in my first three years on the PGA Tour.
“It’s great to have that choice. Starting 2025 in Hawaii, at the Tournament of Champions [The Sentry], will be amazing. Just looking at the rest of the field will be a reminder that I truly belong in the best company.
“But I’d say I’m naturally cautious, and success can be a double-edged sword. Raised expectations is an area where it is important to find the right balance. Having confidence from winning on the PGA Tour, and being in contention a few times now is something very positive to take forward.
“But there are two dangers to guard against - the first one being complacency, in the sense of thinking you’re the finished article now. And the other one is trying to push too hard too fast, trying to force things, and getting impatient.
“So yes, I will take the positives from what I’ve achieved, but also be aware of not trying to deviate too far from what has got me here.”
Rai should know what works next for him by now. After all, it is not as if winning is a new experience.
He rattled off three victories in quick succession on the third tier EuroPro Tour in 2016 to earn his place on the Challenge Tour, and secured automatic promotion to the European Tour - now the DP World Tour - by following up that 2017 Kenya Open win with two more victories.
And he did not have to wait too long for his first taste of success on the bigger stage, with another wire-to-wire victory at the Hong Kong Open at the end of 2018. He is clearly a good front-runner.
A second European victory followed when he beat Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff to secure the 2020 Scottish Open. And good performances in the Open, the USPGA and a couple World Golf Championship events the following year were enough to earn him a place in the Korn Ferry Tour grand finals - much to his own surprise.
But Rai took full advantage, and effectively secured a PGA Tour card at the first attempt by finishing runner-up in the opening play-off event, the Boise Open.
He managed to retain his playing rights fairly comfortably in his first two years on the American circuit, and that will no longer be a concern for the next couple of years.
Not bad for a kid from Wolverhampton, who initially thought he had made a mistake by tuning professional when he was just 17.
Rai recalled: “In hindsight, I think I turned pro too young. It was an eye-opener to see how much further than me some of these guys were hitting it, and how well they were managing their games.
“I missed the cut in my first four events, and had to re-qualify after each of my first two seasons on the EuroPro Tour. That’s even tougher as it’s a circuit where you have to put up your own money towards the prize fund.
“I was lucky that my mum and dad, and the rest of my family, worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices to let me chase my dream.
“And I had a great sponsor in Shabir Randeree, who’s helped me since I was eight years old - from my education, to funding my golf and travels. He’s still a very important part of my team now.
“With their help and support I managed to ride the storm and come out the other side. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.”
Becoming a golfer was not always Rai’s big ambition. He has always been a massive Formula One fan, and dreamed of being the next Michael Schumacher.
But his dad, Amrik, was a keen tennis player, and felt that sport might offer more opportunities. He gave Aaron his first racket at two, but he immediately swung it as if it was a golf club, probably mimicking a shot he’d seen on TV.
Giving himself a bruise on his face by hitting himself with his older brother’s hockey stick - with another golf-style swing - convinced his parents it was time to buy Aaron a set of plastic clubs. It proved a wise move.
Rai added: “None of my family were golfers, but my dad bought some books on coaching, and he was my first coach. He still helps me with my putting now, especially the visualisation side of things.”
Amrik also played a big part in Rai’s endearing quirks of wearing two golf gloves rather than one, and of using club covers for his irons.
His son explained: “My dad reached out to the local papers to raise awareness of this ‘good young golfer’, and maybe get some funding. And I was sent a pair of MacWet gloves, the brand I still use today.
“My hands would get very cold when I practised during the winter. So I got into the habit of wearing both of them. Then, a few weeks down the line, my dad forgot to put the two gloves in the bag so I had to play with one.
“It was terrible. I couldn’t play, I couldn’t feel the right hand grip. So I’ve always stuck with the two gloves ever since. And the iron covers are a throwback to when I started playing in competitions, at around four years old.
“My dad used to pay for my equipment. He paid for my membership, paid for my entry fees. It wasn't money that we really had, to be honest, but he'd always buy me the best clubs as well.
“When we used to go out and practice, he would clean every single groove afterwards with a pin and baby oil, to protect the golf clubs from rust.
"He thought it would be good to put iron covers on them too, and I've pretty much had iron covers on all my sets ever since, just to kind of appreciate the value of what I have.
“It’s more out of principle and it’s more out of just the value of not losing perspective of how lucky I was to have such a supportive family, and to appreciate where I am. So the covers are going to stay.”
The week after his win at the Wyndham, Rai was competing in the opening FedEx Cup play-off tournament, the St Jude, and heard his first shout from a young fan of: ‘Hey mister, can I have your GLOVES’.
Rai grinned: “I suppose it’s helping to get me noticed - the win I mean, not just the two gloves!”
