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US PGA Championship 2026: Aaron Rai on his wife’s advice that helped him win first major


Unlike most professional golfers, Rai does not have an agent – something he insists will not change despite rising to 15th in the world after his victory.

He has been sponsored and mentored by British golf instruction company Me and My Golf for years and is happy to look after his own affairs.

Like his efficient and tidy golf, he keeps his arrangements simple.

“It was always a conscious effort since the early days of turning professional to try and keep things in a close circle,” said Rai. “Through the years and different experiences, that’s something that has stayed true for me.

“I’ve never felt the need to reach out and change those things. I have help in dealing with certain things, but not through a particular agent or manager.”

Rai’s family have been integral to his career, with much written this week about the sacrifice of his parents in pursuing the best for their son.

Winning the US PGA Championship bolstered Rai’s bank balance by $3.7m (£2.8m) but, while he is keen to give back to his support network, he has no plans to make any lavish purchases.

“That’s something I haven’t really thought of,” he said. “I have a really nice house that I absolutely love – I imported my car from the UK and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

“I would like to get a couple of my family members something but I wanted to be thoughtful rather than just buy something that is worth X amount.

“I’m definitely going to sit with that and think about it a little bit more.”

While the prize money may be secure, Rai revealed he is yet to receive the two-and-a-half-stone Wanamaker Trophy because it has “a little bit of damage”.

The winner of the US PGA Championship looks after the original for a year and is given a replica to keep – neither of which has yet arrived.

“I’m not sure what exactly happened,” Rai said, laughing. “There’s just a little bit of damage towards the top of the trophy, which they wanted to fix before it went anywhere.”



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