Rai on his way to winning the PGA, Aronimink’s absurd criticism, player grades and an important message

The 2026 PGA Championship was a game of patience and precision. In an era where golf course classification, even big, deliciously violent fireworks have come to be expected, it was a welcome shock to see someone like Aaron Rai emerge from a group of proven killers to get his hands on the Wanamaker Trophy.

Rai was an unexpected winner. Even in the middle of the final round at Aronimink Golf Club, when no one on the course could get a hand on the door to close it, the Englishman stood up and did so with authority. Classy, ​​sweet, and dignified authority, but authority nonetheless.

The golf course itself and the setup have drawn criticism from both fans and players throughout the week, and while the debates are mixed with the debate of every major tournament, it seemed pointless to Aronimink. We will explain why below.

With such a packed leaderboard and so many big-name players in contention over the weekend, player rankings are on the rise. Spoiler: Ludwig Aberg’s grade is rotten.

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Aaron Rai, Grand Champion

The 2026 PGA Championship was expected to be a test in favor of long hitters with a gauge that everyone has in their bag. While long hitters, including the likes of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Ludwig Aberg, and Justin Thomas, were in the mix for Sunday afternoon, Rai reminded the world that hitting the fairway and greens, and letting a hot putter work, can still get the job done anywhere.

Rai entered the week ranked 160th on the PGA Tour in average driving distance and finished the week ranked 66th in driving distance among the 82 players who made the cut. He was forced to slowly carve the Aronimink instead of violently tearing it apart, and he did it better than anyone else in the field.

Aaron Rai of England introduces the crowd to the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 17, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The Englishman closed the week ranked second in strokes gained: technique, fourth in driving accuracy, hit 74% of his greens in regulation, and led the entire field with 22 birdies or better.

While Rai’s 70-foot birdie on the 17th hole will understandably draw attention for days to come, his birdie on the driveable 13th hole was, by far, the defining moment of his career.

After driving it to the bottom of the greenside, Rai was left with a 40-yard shot that most players with a one-shot lead will play with extreme caution. He chose to be aggressive, however, and hit his golf ball on the shelf where disaster lurked, yet he left the green with a birdie and a two-shot opportunity.

Rai played his final 10 holes in six-par before posting a final-round 65, his lowest score at a major tournament by two strokes.

The 31-year-old is known as one of the nicest and most humble players in professional golf, but inside the ropes on Sunday, he was as mean as they come. With his victory, Rai became the first Englishman to lift the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes won the first tournament in 1919.

Perhaps we see Rai return to main championship contention soon; maybe he’ll never see the front page of the big leaderboard again. No matter what the future holds for him, he grabbed the time at Aronimink on a Sunday in May and entered the golf history books.

Aronimink Was Good, Borderline Good

The media – both those watching from home and those with boots on the ground – couldn’t have been more wrong about how the golf course would play out for the rest of the week than Aronimink.

That’s not anyone’s fault, either. I think it’s a big reflection of how our default setting has become “the tall hitters will go up, isolate themselves, and the score will be shockingly low.”

I predicted the winning score to be 17-under for me, and I thought that was on the strong side, so Rai’s total of 9 was amazing, and fun at that.

Rory McIlroy misses his birdie putt on the 17th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images) (Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images)

With scores on the high side and the leaderboard remaining very tight at the top – there were 21 players among the leading four heading into Sunday – talk began that the golf course’s layout was not good.

Shane Lowry, who has never been in contention, said the course was “not set up well” after the third round. Rory McIlroy explained that a lack of division on the leaderboard is often “a sign of poor planning.” Scottie Scheffler said he had never seen tighter pinning spots in his entire career.

On the other side of that coin, you have fans at home, who enjoy watching the world’s best players struggle to make birdies on a golf course that has played just over 7,100 yards each of the last two rounds.

Without getting too into the weeds, I think the overall consensus of the situation is straightforward.

Rory McIlroy hits his third shot on the 16th hole in the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images) (Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images)

It is not the responsibility of golf fans to worry about whether players love or hate the golf course setup. Most of the fans seemed to enjoy Aronimink because it’s fun to see the best players looking confused on the golf course. In that same light, McIlroy, Lowry, or any other player has every right to share their opinions on the setup, and without a dire statement, they shouldn’t get carried away. They are the ones playing golf with millions of dollars on the line.

This brings us to the PSA: It’s perfectly safe to say you enjoyed this year’s PGA Championship. It was weird and fun. It’s more like a regular US Open than a regular PGA and it was nice to see an old Donald Ross track player. And most importantly, it was a big test.

We’re always clamoring for the best players to be tested more often, and just because they’ve arrived at the PGA Championship’s most anticipated birdie fest doesn’t mean it should be downplayed.

PGA Championship Player Ratings

Aaron Rai: He won the golf tournament…by three. A+

Jon Rahm: No one knew what version of Rahm we were going to get from Aronimink going into the week. After a T-38 finish at the Masters and his future in golf up in the air as the Saudis pulled their sponsorship from LIV Golf, the Spaniard couldn’t be seen and booed while doing so. Instead, he had a remarkably positive attitude all week and finished T-2 after a 67-68 weekend.

He left a few shots there on Sunday, though, and still has incredibly high expectations. B

Jon Rahm of Spain introduces fans to the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 17, 2026 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

JON RAHM APOLOGIZES AFTER HITTING VOLUNTEER WITH FLYING DIVOT AT PGA TOUR: ‘INCORRECT’

Ludwig Aberg: His final round of 69 might have been a 79. After continuing to open nine holes but still firmly in contention, a 3-putt from 34-feet on the 10th hole ended his day while serving as Aberg’s chief representative these days.

He has all the physical tools to be in the conversation as the best player in the world, but it’s clear that between the ears, he fights and loses. It sounds like you are struggling to find the balance of caring too much and caring too little. He also needs to throw the blade putter into the inferno position and start putting with the mallet. C-even if he finished T-4.

Alex Smalley: When you take a two lead after 54 holes in a major tournament, you are doing a lot of things right. His Sunday played out as expected with a nervy shot early and a scary double bogey at the sixth, but he hung in there much better than many, including myself, predicted to start the day.

ALEX SMALLEY’S MUM IS WORRY AFTER SON TAKES SURPRISE LEAD IN PGA TOUR

Alex Smalley of the United States of America hits a bogey on the fourteenth hole during the third round of the Truist Championship 2026 at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 09, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Shooting even par in the final round wasn’t enough to make it happen, but maybe he would have taken those points to start the day. A- to match his T-2 finish.

Cameron Smith: He’s back (maybe, hopefully). Oh, how I’ve missed watching Cam Smith stand over any place and think he’s going to pull it off. After six consecutive missed cuts at majors, it was great to see the Aussie back in the mix and finish T-7. If he discovers that the driver has been considered, he can turn into a defect sooner rather than later. A-

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Rory McIlroy: McIlroy could have chipped in after shooting four over in the opening round, but instead responded with rounds of 67-66-69. One knock on McIlroy, and I believe rightly so, is that he brought zero juice to the course on Sunday. It happens, but it’s not very common in a Sunday major when you start the round just three shots behind the lead. The game was great, nowhere near great. Two birdies on Sunday, including both Par 5s, and a bogey on the 299-yard Par 4. A T-7 finish earned C+ all things considered.

Scottie Scheffler: From tee to green, Scheffler played well enough to win a golf tournament, but when he stepped on the green, he didn’t look like the No. 1 player in the world. For the week, he finished 72nd out of 82 players in strokes gained: putting. The most forgettable IT-14. C