Family man Aaron Rai’s skills changing the stereotype of golf champions

Dubai: Aaron Rai, the first Englishman since 1919 to win the PGA Championship, and only the second player of Indian heritage in the sport’s history to win a major championship (Fiji’s Vijay Singh was first), could well be the superhero who saves golf the way purists love it.In a world besotted by grip-it-and-rip-it golf, where length off the tee is becoming an all-consuming pursuit and drivers are the weapon of destruction for most players, the 31-year-old stands out as someone who’d prioritise the use of brain over brawn.Instead, Rai, 31, is someone who enjoys dissecting a golf course with his irons and short game. Someone who loves his irons so much that he wraps them individually in covers and is so blasé about drivers that he continues to use a seven-year-old TaylorMade M6.In the last 10 years in major championships, he has become only the third player who does not average over 300 yards off the tee. The other two were Brian Harman (2023 Open Championship) and Francesco Molinari (2018 Open Championship).Aronimink, designed by the legendary Donald Ross, looked like it would follow a similar script as bombers took control of the leaderboard on the opening day. Joint leaders South African Aldrich Potgieter and Australian Min Woo Lee are among the longest on the Tour. However, as the sun baked up the turf, it became a firm and fast golf course, and Rai (9-under 271) seemed to have the best gameplan for it, winning by three shots over Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley.There were several instances in Sunday’s final round that showed Rai is a different breed of champion.The most telling one was what happened on the drivable, par-4 13th hole. Masters champion Rory McIlroy, one of the longest hitters in the world and in the hunt at 5-under, smashed his tee shot way right and ended up with a bogey.Rai, on the other hand, never thought of going for the green and just wanted to be in the vicinity with a three-wood. That ended up in the bunker and left him with one of the most awkward and toughest shots in golf – a long bunker shot from 40 yards. But he hit it to perfection, flying it all the way to a challenging pin, and making the six-footer for birdie.Four behind the leaders after his first eight holes, Rai played the last 10 to perfection. That included shots that would make the sport’s traditional fans doff their caps in appreciation.A laser-guided eagle putt from 40 feet on the ninth hole brought him back in the game, before that exquisite bunker shot on the 13th. Then came a stunning 5-iron second shot on the 16th hole which he carved left-to-right with the precision of a surgeon, before hammering the death knell on the field with a monstrous 68-foot birdie on the par-3 17th hole.Somewhat of an international man of mystery, Rai calls Kalyanpur, near Jalandhar, his ancestral village. He was born in Wolverhampton, England, and now resides in Jacksonville in Florida.Married to Indian professional Gaurika Bishnoi last year, the soft-spoken son of Amrik Singh and Dalvir is a picture of humility and loved by everyone on the Tour. Any professional you speak to on any Tour will acknowledge his terrific work ethic.Like most Indian achievers, family is the most important pillar for Rai, and he acknowledged that after the win on Sunday that elevated him to No.15 on the official world golf rankings, and a virtual certainty to make it to Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team next year.On Gaurika, an eight-time winner on the Hero Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI), Rai said: “She’s been incredible. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn’t be here without her. Both as a companion, and also as a real support system for my game. She’s a professional golfer herself. Her mindset, her advice, her thoughts, whether it’s technique or the way I’m holding myself, is invaluable. She encompasses so many different sides in her opinions.”On his parents, he added: “It’s probably hard for me to really express everything that I feel towards them. I think I’ll get way too emotional to speak. My dad, he was with me every day that I went to practice from the age of four. He quit his job and started to focus on my golf from a really young age.“My mom has been incredible as well. She worked extremely long hours to just provide for the house, especially with my dad also not working as much. She did a lot of things. Her support has been phenomenal.”At the Masters, Rai told the writer that he plans to add the DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club in October to his schedule. That would make reigning champions of the first two majors – McIlroy and Rai – part of the $4 million tournament.

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Family man Aaron Rai’s skills changing the stereotype of golf champions

Aaron Rai wins the PGA Championship, becoming the first Englishman since 1919 and second of Indian heritage to triumph in a major golf tournament.

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More from HT

Family man Aaron Rai’s skills changing the stereotype of golf champions

Aaron Rai wins the PGA Championship, becoming the first Englishman since 1919 and second of Indian heritage to triumph in a major golf tournament.