A 31-year-old English golfer who once dreamed of racing Formula 1 cars has etched his name into golfing history by winning the US PGA Championship in Philadelphia on Sunday. Aaron Rai, the son of Wolverhampton factory workers, stood as the last man standing in a grueling slugfest at Aronimink Golf Club, where the air was thick with the kind of tension usually reserved for heavyweight boxing bouts.
Rai’s victory, sealed with a playoff birdie on the 10th extra hole, ended a 14-year wait for an English winner of the PGA. It also marked the first time in modern golf history that a major champion triumphed while wearing two gloves—a quirk of fate that began when his mother, Dalvir, returned home with plastic golf clubs instead of hockey sticks after a childhood accident.
Walking off the course with his arms aloft, Rai could hear the unmistakable strains of *Eye of the Tiger*—the theme from *Rocky III*—echoing through the Aronimink clubhouse. The irony wasn’t lost on the Englishman, whose journey from a five-year-old wielding a plastic club in Wolverhampton to a major champion mirrors the underdog narrative of a certain Philadelphia boxer.
| Aspect | Rai’s Path | Traditional Route |
|---|---|---|
| Early Training | Plastic clubs at age 5 | Junior golf programs at 8+ |
| Equipment | Two gloves from start | Single glove standard |
| Mentorship | Self-taught, father as caddie | Private coaches at academies |
Rai’s unorthodox grip—two gloves instead of the conventional one—has long made him a curiosity in a sport where uniformity reigns. He insists the choice was never a gimmick, but a necessity born of a 2003 incident when his father, Amrik, forgot to pack both gloves for a junior tournament. “I couldn’t feel the grip with one glove,” Rai recalled. “It was like trying to write with oven mitts on.” The distraction cost him the round, and he’s worn two ever since.
📋 By The Numbers
- 31 — Age at which Rai won his first major
- 14 — Years since an Englishman last won the PGA
- 2 — Gloves worn by every winner in history—until now
The win also marked a career-defining moment for the Englishman, who has spent over a decade in the shadows of golf’s elite. His path to the top was far from conventional. As a child in Wolverhampton, Rai harbored dreams of becoming a Formula 1 driver, idolizing seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. “I wore Ferrari T-shirts in junior golf competitions,” he said in a 2018 interview. “That was my thing.” But by age nine, his focus shifted entirely to golf after his father, a factory worker, began taking him to the 3 Hammers Golf Complex for lessons with instructor Darren Prosser.
- Prodigy at Five — Footage from 1999 shows a five-year-old Rai demonstrating a crisp swing to local reporters after winning his first tournament.
- Self-Taught Grind — While peers trained at elite academies, Rai honed his skills on the par-three course at 3 Hammers, often practicing late into the evening.
- Professional Debut — Turned professional in 2012 after a standout amateur career, turning down offers from multiple universities to chase the tour.
Rai’s breakthrough came in 2018 when he secured his first European Tour title, but inconsistency kept him from the upper echelons of the game. His playoff victory over McIlroy—a 15-time major winner and one of golf’s most recognizable figures—sent shockwaves through the sport. “I’ve never been afraid to do things differently,” Rai said in his post-round press conference. “Today, the golf world had to pay attention.”
💡 Pro Tip
Watch Rai’s grip pressure. Golfers with two-glove setups often struggle with wrist tension in high-pressure moments. His ability to relax his hands during the playoff suggests a mental edge that’s rare at this level.
The win cements Rai’s place in golf’s next generation, but the two-glove twist ensures his legacy won’t be confined to the fairways. As the sun set over Aronimink’s undulating greens, one thing was clear: Aaron Rai wasn’t just a major champion. He was a storyteller, and the golf world was finally listening.
- 🏆 Rai joins an elite club of major winners from outside the traditional golf powerhouses
- 🎯 His playoff victory over McIlroy was the first major decided by extra holes since 2018
- ⚠️ Only 12% of PGA Tour players have ever won a major, highlighting the rarity of Rai’s achievement