Aaron Rai Wins PGA Championship, First English Golfer Since 1919

Aaron Rai, growing up in central England with a humble and hard-working mindset influenced by his family, achieved a historic victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday. This makes him the first English golfer to win the title since Jim Barnes in 1919. Rai secured his win with four birdies and an eagle in the last 10 holes, resulting in a four-stroke victory at Aronimink.

Reflecting on his journey, Rai stated, “It definitely feels like a journey... So much goes into it, from being a junior golfer to developing the game to have aspirations of turning professional. Then you realise once you turn professional how good some of these guys are.”

Rai’s multicultural background, with his father being of Indian ancestry and his mother having Kenyan heritage, has instilled in him a sense of pride for his English upbringing and connections to India and Kenya. “I’m very proud to be from England. That’s where I grew up. That’s where a lot of my family still live,” Rai expressed. “I’m very proud of India and Kenya as well. My mum still spends a lot of time in Kenya. Both of my sets of grandparents from my mum and dad’s side were from India.”