After his win in the 2026 PGA Championship was confirmed, Aaron Rai immediately embraced his Gaurika Bishnoi and shared an emotional moment with her. But those were not the only sentiments he had left for the evening. When Amanda Balionis tried to draw a confession about his win and the PGA Championship, he was moved once again.
Rai told Balionis, “Golf is an amazing game. It teaches you so many things, and it teaches you so much humility and discipline and absolute hard work because nothing is ever given in this game, no matter what level you’re playing, no matter what course you’re playing on. I think it just teaches so many amazing life skills. I think pretty much every guy on TOUR are incredible people, and I think the sport should be very proud of the ambassadors that represent the PGA TOUR and represent the PGA of America.”
The Englishman seems quite proud of being a part of the PGA of America institution and the PGA Tour. Having won the 2026 PGA Championship, he has become a part of the history that represents it.
The PGA Championship has been ongoing since 1916. In fact, the first ever champion was a fellow Englishman of Rai, Jim Barnes. He was also the last English winner of the event before the 31-year-old. After years of seeing Americans and golfers from other nations lift the Wanamaker Trophy, England has finally seen another champion in Rai in nearly 100 years.
No wonder the emotions were running high for Rai. In fact, everyone else on the field as well was excited to see him climb to the top of the mountain. And they, too, expressed the same in their post-tournament interviews.
Aaron Rai’s win was a win for everyone
Watching Aaron Rai win the 2026 PGA Championship made a number of golfers happy. Even if it came at the expense of their defeat. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Jon Rahm expressed themselves to the reporters about the same.
McIlroy told the media, “Aaron is getting away from the field a little bit and looks like he’s going to win, which is great. You won’t find one person on the property who’s not happy for him.”
Watching his fellow European pro lift the Wanamaker Trophy made the Northern Irishman really happy. Even though McIlroy himself was pushing hard to win the major for the third time in his career.
Schauffele said, “I’m super happy for him. He’s such a good dude. Rarely do you see people work really hard. I mean, that’s not fair. Rarely do you feel like people work way harder than you is what I was trying to say. Super pumped for him and his team.”
Lastly, Rahm told the reporters, “I have heard absolutely nothing but good or great things about Aaron Rai. He’s been playing great golf. He’s a fantastic golfer. He’s been able to perform really well. What he did today is nothing short of special.”
As you can see, everyone had nothing but positive things to say about Rai. He is a beloved figure in the PGA Tour roster. Watching him win the 2026 PGA Championship has pleased most of those in the locker room.
