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Aaron Rai Wins 2026 PGA, First English Champion Since 1919

5/18/2026

Summary

Rai Wins PGA

Aaron Rai (professional golfer) won the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink.
He posted a 65, three strokes ahead of Jon Rahm (professional golfer) and Alex Smalley (professional golfer), after a 68½-foot birdie putt on the 17th sparked a back-nine surge.
The win, the first by an English-born player since 1919 and at 290-1 odds, gives Rai a five-year PGA Tour exemption and entry into the next five majors.

Summary

PGA Raises Purse

PGA of America raised the tournament purse by $1.5 million to a record $20.5 million.
The Sunday champion will earn $3.69 million, the runner-up $2.214 million, and third place $1.394 million.
All 82 players who made the cut receive a paycheck, while those who missed it get a $4,300 stipend.
Organizers said the larger pool reflects majors’ effort to stay competitive, following the Masters’ earlier increase to a $22.5 million purse and a $4.5 million winner’s share.

History

Historical Context

Founded in February 1916, the PGA of America launched its first championship that October at Siwanoy Country Club, where English-born Jim Barnes won the $500 prize and a diamond-studded medal. Barnes’s victory marked the debut of a major tournament for professionals, a tradition that has expanded to multi-million purses by 2026, when another English-born champion claimed the title.

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Rai Wins PGA

Aaron Rai (professional golfer) won the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink.
He posted a 65, three strokes ahead of Jon Rahm (professional golfer) and Alex Smalley (professional golfer), after a 68½-foot birdie putt on the 17th sparked a back-nine surge.
The win, the first by an English-born player since 1919 and at 290-1 odds, gives Rai a five-year PGA Tour exemption and entry into the next five majors.

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