Aaron Rai drained a 69-foot putt on the 17th green at Aronimink—the second longest putt of the entire week—and in that moment, the 31-year-old from Wolverhampton became an English major champion for the first time in 105 years.
The significance of what Rai achieved on Sunday extends far beyond that magical stroke. His victory at the 2024 US PGA Championship marks the first time since 1919, when Jim Barnes won the Wanamaker Trophy, that an Englishman has claimed golf's most prestigious tournaments. It's also the first time in a decade that a non-American has won the US PGA, a shift that signals the global evolution of professional golf. And in a detail that will undoubtedly make him a fixture in golf trivia forever, Rai appears to be the first major champion ever to wear two gloves while playing—a habit born from how he learned the game as a child.
On a brutally difficult Aronimink course that had confounded players all week, Rai played with striking clarity. His final round 65—five under par—brought him to nine under for the championship, which proved more than enough. He finished three shots clear of Spain's two-time major champion Jon Rahm and American overnight leader Alex Smalley, both of whom shared second place.
The path to victory wasn't straightforward. Rai had never finished in the top ten at a major championship before this week, and he arrived in Pennsylvania having struggled with a persistent neck injury that limited his practice time. Yet once he moved to seven under following birdies on the 11th and 13th holes, something shifted. The strategic precision for which Rai is known on the professional tour came fully into focus. He kept his ball on the fairway from the tee consistently—fourth best for the week—while others struggled with the severe slopes and penal rough. Another birdie on the par-five 16th extended his lead before that impossible 69-footer on 17 all but sealed it.
"I definitely wasn't trying to hole that putt," Rai said afterward, his composure intact even in triumph. "The shadow of the pin gave a really nice line for the last 10 feet so that helped with the visual. It just tracked really well—it was amazing to see it go in."
The victory places Rai among rarified English company. He becomes just the eighth Englishman to win a major since World War II, joining Henry Cotton, Max Faulkner, Tony Jacklin, Nick Faldo, Justin Rose, Danny Willett, and Matt Fitzpatrick. It's a list of champions, and now his name sits among them.
Around him, more celebrated names fell short. Rory McIlroy, the world number two seeking a third US PGA title just weeks after defending his Masters crown, finished five shots back. Justin Thomas, the two-time champion who set an early target of five under, could not find the final push needed. Even Ludvig Aberg, the Swedish rising star, stumbled with three bogeys in four holes that derailed his challenge.
Rai's victory represents something deeper than mere statistics: a major champion who kept calm while keeping mistakes off his card, who leaned on the composure that earned him the Abu Dhabi Championship just months earlier, and who proved that golf's grandest stage belongs not just to the most famous names, but to those who execute with precision and poise when it matters most.