Aaron Rai: From back garden putting to major champion

Born in Wolverhampton, Rai was raised by proud parents Amrik Singh and Dalvir Shukla in Perton, where he came to the game by accident.

His father Amrik was an accomplished tennis player who tried to teach his son the rudiments of the game. However, on spotting his forehand was more akin to a golf swing, he swapped rackets for clubs as little more than a toddler.

A former Perton Primary School and Wolverhampton Grammar School pupil, Rai practiced putting on a purpose-built green in his back garden, while honing his skills at 3 Hammers Golf Complex in Coven and on the fairways of Patshull Park.

He also set a Guinness World Record aged 15 for holing 207 consecutive 10-foot putts.

He represented Shropshire & Herefordshire as a junior, before going on to turn professional.

He qualified for the US Open in 2017 - his first crack at a major - while still on the Challenge Tour and when on to be a DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and PGA Tour winner.

His European Tour breakthrough came at the Hong Kong Open in November 2018 - beating major winner Matt Fitzpatrick by one stroke - before then taking a pair of play-off wins over Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood at the Scottish Open in 2020 and then the Abu Dhabi Championship last year.

It was at the Wyndham Championship in August 2024 that he got his hands on a PGA Tour trophy as well, after which he reflected on his rise from Wolverhampton schoolboy to the top of the sport.

“It’s so busy schedule-wise that it’s very tricky to make that time to kind of really sit down and reflect on on the whole journey,” said Rai. “But I think there are little pockets of time.

“Little moments like for instance, even being in the score recorder’s after finishing on the Sunday where I felt very, very emotional.

“I’m just thinking about my parents and how big of an achievement it is to win, to win on the tour.

“So there are those little pockets and moments where it really hits me, but I feel like I don’t quite have the time to really sit and reflect on how that is as a journey overall.

“But yeah, I know it’s it’s incredible to come from Wolverhampton and from pretty humble beginnings to even be competing at here.

“So I’m very fortunate and and grateful for that.”

He is married to Gaurika Bishnoi, a professional golfer from India - and the pair have previously caddied for one another, while they celebrated Rai winning the Par 3 contest at this year’s Masters.

And so on to the US PGA Championship, where he realised every young golfer’s dream of lifting a major championship.

He started with a level-par round of 70, before steadily improving through the week as he moved into contention with rounds of 69 and 67.

Into his final round, Rai endured an up-and-down front nine that featured two bogeys and three birdies, before he reached the turn with a bang as he eagled the par-five ninth.

That was the start of a good run for him as he added birdies at the 11th and 13th holes to pick up four shots in five holes as he opened a two-shot lead over the field.

Then those years of practice in his back garden paid off as he sunk a monster 69-footer on the 17th to put one hand on the trophy.

His name was already being pencilled on to the trophy when he finished with a par to top the leaderboard on nine under par.

And after a warm embrace from his wife, he was finally able to celebrate as the last rounds were completed without troubling his winning score.