Aaron Rai Defies All Odds, Wins 2026 PGA Championship

SportsMoneyAaron Rai Defies All Odds, Wins 2026 PGA ChampionshipByJeff Hartman, Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jeff Hartman is a Maryland resident who covers the PGA Tour.Follow AuthorMay 18, 2026, 08:30am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.NEWTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 16: Aaron Rai of England hits a tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 16, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Getty ImagesMaybe it’s the two golf gloves. Maybe it’s the iron covers on his clubs. Maybe it’s the different sponsors on his hat and shirt. Either way, there is a good chance you know Aaron Rai for all the aforementioned reasons, and not for his play on the course over the past few seasons. Rai broke through with his first win of his career in 2024, winning the Wyndham Championship, but he has been having a great 2026 season which was recently capped off with his first major championship crown. Rai won the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club this past weekend, and his 3-shot victory over some of golf’s biggest names was his first true moment in the sun. After the win, Rai got the opportunity to explain why he wears two golf gloves, which was a habit he started doing as a child during the cold winters in England. He also got to share how he came from a hard-working middle class family, and when his father bought him a new set of irons as a kid, he put iron covers on them to make them last. Despite having access to the finest technology and equipment the game has to offer, Rai continues to keep those traditions to remind him of where he came from, and to appreciate what he has. Rai’s 2026 season saw him make eight out of 10 potential cuts, four Top 25s, a Par 3 winner at The Masters, and now a major championship. With the win, Rai pocketed roughly $3.6 million dollars, along with notching a victory over the likes of Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, and Jon Rahm, all who were threatening Rai down the stretch. Is this just the beginning of Rai’s run of major titles? Or is this a one-and-done situation? Only time will tell, but let’s take a look at how we did in our picks from the 2026 PGA Championship. Let’s start with a review of the odds to win the tournament heading into Thursday: When it comes to picks for this major event, I like to start with my favorite and long shot picks for the tournament. The favorite pick is the pick I like the most for an outright winner. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Young entered the 2026 PGA Championship as one of the hottest golfers on the planet. He had won the Cadillac Championship two weeks before, and had been a lock to be a Top 10 finish if he wasn’t winning tournaments. Nonetheless, his T26 was a far cry from outright winner. Long Shot: Tommy Fleetwood (+2700) - MISS You keep thinking this is the tournament where Fleetwood could break through, yet he has never seemed so far away. Fleetwood’s play was disappointing, to say the least, as he missed the cut and didn’t make the weekend. As stated above, Young was the best golfer in the world heading into the second major of the 2026 year, and while he didn’t fall off the face of the earth and miss the cut, his T26 finish was far from a Top 5. I didn’t have Scheffler winning this tournament, and that proved to be a smart decision. Scheffler’s putter was a problem, and he missed several short putts on the weekend which could have propelled him into contention. Nonetheless, when the dust settled Scheffler finished T14, breaking his solo 2nd streak he had going dating back to the Masters. My lone correct pick was once again Ludvig Aberg hitting as a Top 10 finish. The Swedish youngster has proven he can contend, but can’t break through to win his first major just yet. Aberg made several key putts down the stretch Sunday to give him a T4 finish in the PGA Championship. Aberg has bounced back nicely after his collapse on Sunday at the Players Championship earlier this year. As I stated earlier, Fleetwood missing the cut was something I never saw coming. Fleetwood had played good golf leading up to the PGA Championship, but the set up and his game just didn’t mesh. This was a huge miss. I largely stayed away from LIV golfers in this event, and for the most part that was a good decision. While Jon Rahm and Cam Smith had good performances, I thought Hatton would be the player who would be able to at least make the cut and make a Top 20 performance. Unfortunately, he missed the cut and was a non-factor. Every tournament, even majors, I have a “gut pick” of the week. This pick is where there is just something I see about a player that just looks right. For me, it was Br

Aaron Rai Defies All Odds, Wins 2026 PGA Championship

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