5 Takeaways from the 2026 US PGA Championship
5 takeaways from the 2026 US PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, where Aaron Rai won his first major championship.
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Chris Mole
5/18/20265 min read
It was a momentous win for Aaron Rai, and, obviously, more importantly for those of us living there, a momentous week for the West Midlands of England! We have a US PGA winner in our midst! It was a shock to most, but the lad from Wolverhampton has been constantly on the rise and his win was magical for so many reasons.
Let’s look at 5 takeaways from what was a very different US PGA Championship:
1. Nice Guys Do Win Sometimes!
I’m not sure there has been a more popular win in the changing rooms than this one. Aaron Rai might be the most likeable human being on the planet. Every story you hear about him and his kindness is true. He constantly congratulates winners and commiserates with people who don’t.
His humility and constant praise for everything his family has done for him show up in his golf course mannerisms and habits. He uses iron covers because his parents had spent so much money on his clubs as a kid and he wanted to look after them. This continued once he turned pro and didn’t have to pay for his clubs, simply because he was grateful for them and wanted to look after them.
2. Rai won it. It wasn’t given to him.
Those last 10 holes from Aaron Rai will probably be the best 10 holes of golf we will see all year, and in particular the last 3. It all started with an eagle on the 9th, and was followed by a magical bunker shot on 13. That bunker had seen sixteen players in it all day; only four got it up and down, and the other three were all from more than 10 feet short of the hole. Rai hit his bunker shot pin high, just seven feet away, and rolled the putt in.
But those last three holes were remarkable. His magnificent approach shot into the par-5 16th trickled out to 16 feet, and while he didn’t hole the eagle putt, it was an easy birdie to put him three shots clear with two holes to play.
But it was on 17 that the trophy was confirmed. He found the green safely but was 69 feet from the hole. A snaking putt, up and over a ridge and down to the hole. Rai stood there in complete disbelief as the putt weaved its way along the green and into the back of the hole. The crowd erupted, Rai just held one hand up in acknowledgement as he walked to get his ball. The calmness in what was an incredible moment of sporting theatre said everything about the man.
His comfortable two shots up the 18th hole to find the green were never in doubt. Whether he’s in this position ever again may be, but if he is, that calmness will prove to be difficult to beat.
3. Aronomink was a weird test
It’s difficult to reflect on whether this was a good or bad thing, but having 22 players within 4 shots of the lead going into the final round was certainly different! It appears to just be one of those courses where holing putts is really difficult. Even when holes are cut in “easier” positions, like they were on Saturday, it still didn’t provide any separation in the field.
The firmness of the greens made it very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. This is a major. It’s supposed to be one of the 4 toughest tests of mental AND physical skills each year. And it was. It tested the ability to 2-putt from distance without getting frustrated. In the end, Aaron Rai won because he didn’t let anything bother him. He just got on with it.
4. Is Ludvig becoming the new Tommy?
There’s absolutely no doubt that Ludvig Aberg is a special talent. The 26-year-old shot onto the scene in 2023, winning the Omega European Masters to guarantee his place on the Ryder Cup team, and then winning the RSM Classic that November with two rounds of 61 over the weekend to finish -29 for the week.
Since then he has featured at almost all the tournaments he has played (his top-5 tournament finish percentage is almost 25% on the PGA Tour), he’s made it as high as number 4 in the world, but he’s only got the Genesis Invitational from February 2025 to his name from the winners circle. This was his 6th top-10 finish in his last 7 tournaments. But it never really felt like he was in the tournament as a potential winner.
The Players Championship was painful this year. He led comfortably with 8 holes to play, and was on the eventual winning score, but then proceeded to drop 4 shots over the last 8 holes to fall down the leaderboard. The man has all the talent in the world, and it’s not a worry as of yet because he is still right up there every week, but a win may just open the floodgates. While we presume that Scottie will be number 1 forever, Ludvig is the obvious pretender to the throne. We just need to see him finish a tournament off in the way he seems to play 63 of the holes each week.
5. A better showing for some of the LIV "lads"
Jon Rahm looked excellent all week. His birdie-birdie start to the final round suggested he was the one who would pull away but it just never quite happened for him. While he has continued to be the main man on LIV, his major finishes haven’t reflected the talent he has since his move there. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out for him.
Cam Smith had missed 6 major cuts in a row before this one. To see his name up on the leaderboard again was a delight, and a worry for everyone else on there. The one person who really could have found a putting stroke to win the tournament was lurking. In the end, it didn’t quite happen for him, but his best showing at a major since the 2024 Masters will have pleased him and given some confidence back that he could compete in the final two majors of the year.
Patrick Reed competed the Top-10ers that had been on LIV. It was another solid week for Reed, who has found success on the DP World Tour this year after leaving LIV Golf to try to return to the tours. Uncharacteristic errors on the front 9 put paid to his chances in this tournament, but Reed still showed that he has the talent to contend. His year will be interesting, as he is unlikely to play again until the US Open and then may not play again after that until the Scottish Open.
Conclusion
It was a fascinating US PGA Championship, and we haven’t always been able to say that in recent times. Aaron Rai was a deserved winner. It’s unlikely to change who he is, but it may just change his ability to win the biggest tournaments. One thing is for certain, it will give him comfort to know he can choose his calendar for the next few years.