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Aaron Rai walked out of a crowded field at win the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday, winning the first major title of his career. How did Rai get away so easily winning with three from the field when others couldn’t?
Zephyr Melton, Associate Game Improvement Editor (@zephyrmelton): When you look at the stroke-earned statistics, you can see that Rai has made his grass in two areas: in the approach game and on the greens. For the week, he ranked second in the field in SG: Approach and fifth in SG: Putting. With the way Aronimink played all week, dominating those two categories proved to be the recipe for success. He may not have been one of the tallest players on the court (66 for the week), but when you’re hitting it close and doing pretty, you can afford to give away some distance. As a short fellow, I respect the hell out of it.
Josh Sens, senior writer, (@joshsens): He was too *checks stats* the fourth in the fairway, which was crucial this week, what with the rough juice and those wild greens and not confused with the hole sites. Distance control was crucial. That’s hard to do when you’re playing the spinach approach. Rai was mostly in the short grass off the tee.
Josh Schrock, news editor (@schrock_and_awe): All those stats are nice, but what will stick with me from a Sunday where Aaron Rai did what Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and others couldn’t is three shots. First, the bunker was shot at no. 13. I watched all day as guys went into that bunker and left the shot out of the short sand as they tried to get it on the slope. Rai flew him to the back shelf and stopped him. Done before. Then came the 15th hole when he pulled a 3-wood off the tee, knowing he would have a long second shot inside. He stuck to the game plan of hitting a tight par on the green. On the 16th hole, he worked the ball to the other side to put up a two-shot birdie. He had complete control of his ball and, outside of Justin Thomas, was probably the only one on Sunday.
Alex Smalley held the 54-hole lead while five players were two back and 21 total started Sunday within four shots of the lead. Does this type of final round setup make for a better Major Sunday? Or would you prefer something like a few stars – or another option – dueling in the final pair?
Melts: It probably makes a Sunday more appealing to the casual fan with so many names in the mix, but it’s not necessarily the best way to determine a champion. When there are splits at the top of the leaderboard, it’s usually an indication that great shots are rewarded and bad ones are punished. The kind of setup we saw this week at Aronimink had some golf purists pulling their hair out, but for the casual fan, it made for a compelling board heading into the final round. To each his own.
Meaning: Earlier in the week, many comparisons were made to the US Open, with its strong conditions and big jumps and challenges around the greens. But by Sunday we had something that felt closer to an open championship, with a host of unexpected names on the leaderboard in a structure that didn’t necessarily favor the Bombers. The finish was anticlimactic, but for a good portion of the day, it was a fun change of pace. It’s not often that we get this deep into a major with so many guys — a mix of big stars and lesser lights — still having a legitimate chance to win.
Shrock: Makes a good television product. Does it always identify the best player? No. Did it this week? I think so. Perhaps this could be the identity of the PGA going forward. A major car accident.
Host of the PGA Championship Aronimink Golf Club received some comments earlier in the week – “the first strategy is pretty non-existent; it’s basically a bash driver down there and then I figure it out from there,” Rory McIlroy said before the tournament – but the course and conditions proved to be a tough test. Was the course unfairly judged? How would you rate Aronimink as a PGA venue?
Melts: I’ll give it a solid B. It wasn’t as good as some PGA hosts in recent history (Southern Hills, Kiawah), but it was a lot better than some others (Valhallah, Quail Hollow).
Meaning: In the era before grade inflation, B meant good, which seems about right. It was a good place. McIlroy may have felt like he had no strategy out there, but he certainly cost himself a few chances by not finding the fairway, and I’m sure he’d love to make that wrong tee on the short back par-4 13th as well. If there was anything to discuss, some of the hole locations looked borderline. I would drop a few points there.
Schrock: I liked it a lot. I loved the greens and thought the setup for three of the four days was tough but fair. It’s no Kiawah, but it’s better than most and will probably be better than next year’s in Frisco.
Who won the 2026 PGA Championship without winning the PGA Championship?
Melts: Give me Cam Smith. He’s been MIA in the majors lately with six consecutive missed cuts in weeks, but his performance at Aronimink showed he still has plenty of game. A T7 is a good sign that he still has a lot of game and can compete on the biggest stages. It was nice to see him back in the mix.
Meaning: Good call on Smith. A little further down the leaderboard, it was pleasing to see 54-year-old Padriag Harrington shake off an opening 74 and put together a solid weekend to finish inside the Top 20. That’s pretty much a win for the over-50 group.
Schrock: I agree with Zephyr. Smith was on top of the golf world when he headed to LIV in 2022. He played well in 2023, but has been in the wilderness ever since. He is chaotic good in golf form. Honorable mention to JT, who has been non-existent in the majors since winning at Southern Hills. Golf is at its best when it’s competing on the big stage.
Which means who or what was Sunday’s biggest loser?
Melts: I know Jon Rahm was only beaten by the eventual champion, but I’ll give him the nod here. On a day when none of the biggest stars made a big move, Wanamaker seemed to be his for the taking. Unfortunately for him, he just couldn’t get enough birdies and remains stuck on two big titles.
Meaning: And there’s Rory, who could, should, but couldn’t get anything off the par 5s all week.
Schrock: I struggle with this. Rory was clearly struggling with the driver all week. Two rounds worked. Two, it didn’t happen. He might have stolen one this week, but I don’t think he leaves Aronimink kicking himself. For me, it’s Scottie. Scottie played great golf in tough conditions on Thursday and Friday and then missed all sorts of shots from within five feet on the weekend.
A stock-filled week appeared a Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut, The Resurrection of Cam Smith, a rare penalty and many relative unknowns flying up the leaderboard and competing in a major championship. What did you learn during PGA Week?
Melts: Pre-tournament testimonials should not be taken as gospel. Aronimink had to be torn apart. Instead, we had a blast at the US Open. Golf can be a funny game that way.
Schrock: That there might be nothing cooler than Patrick Reed’s Masters, PGA, US Open schedule with nothing in between. And he will surely fight in all three!
Meaning: Guys with iron covers and plastic strings can be serious players too. And no matter what form he’s in, Xander Schauffele continues to be a major championship machine. This is his 10th best in his last 14 starts, two of which were wins.
