Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship on May 17, 2026, becoming the first English golfer to win the title in 107 years [1].
The victory marks a historic shift in professional golf, ending a century-long drought for English players in one of the sport's most prestigious majors.
Playing at the Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, Rai secured the win with a final-round score of 65 [2]. A pivotal moment in the championship occurred on the 17th hole, where Rai sank a 68-foot birdie putt [3]. This performance allowed him to outpace a field of top-tier competitors in the U.S. event.
Jon Rahm finished the tournament in tied-second place [4]. Rory McIlroy, another favorite for the title, finished five strokes behind Rai [5]. The result also disrupted a significant trend in the tournament's history, as Rai's victory ended a streak of 10 consecutive American winners [6].
No English golfer had captured the PGA Championship since 1919 [7]. By winning the event, Rai has bridged a gap of more than a century for his home country. The victory cements his place in the record books as the first English-born player to lift the trophy since the early 20th century [1].
“Aaron Rai became the first English golfer to win the PGA Championship in 107 years.”
Rai's victory represents a significant internationalization of the PGA Championship's winner's circle. By breaking both a 107-year national drought for England and a decade-long dominance by American players, the result signals a shifting competitive landscape in major championship golf where non-U.S. players are regaining footing in historically American-dominated events.
