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Aaron Rai’s Winning WITB at the 2026 PGA Championship

All Square 3 min read • Today

Aaron Rai’s rise from one of golf’s most quietly consistent ball-strikers to a major champion reached its defining moment at Aronimink, where the Englishman delivered a stunning final-round 65 to claim the 2026 PGA Championship and etch his name into history as the first English winner of the event since 1919. Entering Sunday two shots back in a brutally crowded leaderboard, Rai produced a masterclass in control and composure, highlighted by a momentum-shifting eagle at the 9th, clutch birdies on the back nine, and a jaw-dropping 68-foot bomb on the 17th that effectively sealed his first major title. At just 31, Rai’s victory was more than a surprise — it was the payoff for years of elite accuracy, relentless discipline, and one of the most underrated journeys in modern golf.

Known for his trademark two gloves, iron headcovers, and laser-like precision, Rai has built his career around methodical excellence rather than brute force. Before conquering the Wanamaker Trophy, the Wolverhampton native had already earned multiple DP World Tour victories, a PGA Tour breakthrough, and a reputation as one of the straightest drivers in professional golf. His PGA Championship triumph showcased exactly what has long made him dangerous: elite fairway-finding, precise iron play, and a setup engineered for consistency under pressure. Rai’s bag remains a fascinating blend of trusted older weapons and carefully chosen modern upgrades, proving that confidence and fit often matter more than chasing every new release.

At the heart of Rai’s winning setup was his famously loyal TaylorMade M6 driver, a longtime staple that continues to outperform newer alternatives thanks to its dependable launch and accuracy profile. Complementing it were TaylorMade fairway woods, his precision-focused TaylorMade P-7TW irons, Vokey wedges for scoring versatility, a TaylorMade TP Collection putter, and the 2026 switch to the Titleist Pro V1 golf ball — an adjustment that appears to have sharpened his feel on golf’s biggest stage. In an era where many players constantly overhaul equipment, Rai’s PGA-winning WITB reinforced a different message: trust, repetition, and unwavering belief in your tools can still win major championships.