Aaron Rai prize money: PGA Championship winner to bag huge sum after shocker. Purse details out

Aaron Rai stunned the golf world with a breakthrough PGA Championship triumph, earning one of the biggest payouts in the sport

Updated on: May 18, 2026 5:14 AM IST

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Aaron Rai took home the $3.69 million winner's check from the tournament's record $20.5 million purse after winning the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday.

Aaron Rai stunned the golf world with a breakthrough PGA Championship triumph, earning one of the biggest payouts in the sport (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Rai outplayed some of the biggest names in golf to capture the major title in one of the tournament’s most surprising finishes in recent years.

The Englishman's only prior PGA Tour victory was the 2024 Wyndham Championship. He is of Kenyan and Indian descent. Before the PGA Championship, he was ranked 44th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

PGA Championship purse and Aaron Rai's career earnings

The PGA Championship has dramatically increased prize pools in recent years as the sport continues competing for elite talent and global attention following the emergence of LIV Golf and rising commercial investments.

According to Golf Channel, the purse for this year's PGA Championship is officially $20.5 million, the highest in the competition's history.

The PGA Championship featured a $19 million purse last year.

Rai took home $3.68 million, which is 18% of the total purse amount, being the only individual to have won more than $3 million. The second place earningis $1.99 million, and the third place earnings stand at $1.26 million.

With his current win, Rai's career earnings have boosted to just over $16 million.

How much will Aaron Rai’s caddie make?

Caddies on the PGA Tour frequently receive a portion of a golfer's winnings, though specific private agreements are rarely made public.

According to Golf Monthly, a golfer will typically negotiate over conditions with his caddie. For instance, the majority of caddies receive either a weekly base rate or a yearly income.

Nonetheless, it is commonly acknowledged that, in addition to their other compensation, tournament champions typically award their caddies 10% of their prize money.

Given that Rai's prize money is $3.6 milllion, his caddie is expected to make somewhere around $360,0

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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