Who is Aaron Rai? How humble English golfer rose to win the PGA Championship and why he wears two gloves | Golf News

Aaron Rai became became the first Englishman in 107 years to win the PGA Championship on Sunday, after the 31-year-old climbed to the top of a packed leaderboard to clinch his first major title by three shots.

The Wolverhampton-born golfer banked a $3.69m (£2.76m) cheque and a lifetime exemption to play at the PGA Championship.

But attesting to the Englishman’s self-effacing demeanour, Rai explained he’d be keeping the celebrations low-key, saying he and his wife would “probably just go to Chipotle”.

Rai is highly regarded by many of his peers as one of the most humble players on the PGA Tour. Jon Rahm, who finished three shots behind Rai, tied for second, heaped praise on the 31-year-old on Sunday.

“I haven’t spent a lot of time with him, but I have heard consistently that there are very few people who are nicer and kinder human beings than Aaron Rai,” Rahm said.

The Spaniard added: “What he did today is nothing short of special.”

That it was. Rai, who hoisted the Wannamaker Trophy into the air on Sunday afternoon at Aronimink Golf Club, has enjoyed a storied rise to the top of the golfing world. Here’s how it happened.

When did Rai start playing golf?

Rai was born in Womborne, Staffordshire, in 1995 to a working-class family. His mother, Dalvir, immigrated from Kenya to England and had multiple jobs, notably working as a mental health nurse. His father, Amrik, whose family hailed from India, was an amateur tennis player and held a job as a community worker.

None of his family had played golf before, and as a child, Rai wanted to become an F1 driver.

He happened upon golf when his dad told him his tennis stroke looked more like he was swinging a driver. His father bought him a set of plastic golf clubs, and the rest is history!

His family quickly found out that Rai was a special talent. The Englishman played in his first tournament when he was four and competed against kids nearly three times his age. He went on to win the net division of that event.

From there, his family supported his journey to becoming a professional. His dad read books to learn more about the golf swing and coached Rai in the basics of the game.

“It’s probably hard for me to really express everything that I feel towards them [my parents],” the 31-year-old said on Sunday, speaking on the sacrifices his parents made.

“I think I’ll get way too emotional to speak. Starting with my dad, he was with me every day I went to practice from the age of four to five. He actually quit his job and started to focus on my golf from a really young age.

“My mum has been absolutely incredible as well. She works extremely long hours just to provide for the house. She did a lot of things, and her support has been phenomenal.

“I can’t put into words how much they’ve done in terms of support, the care and love. I wouldn’t be here without them.”

The wholesome reason why Rai wears headcovers on his irons

Rai is one of the few players on the PGA Tour who still chooses to put headcovers on his irons, and there’s a wholesome reason why.

His dad bought him a new state-of-the-art set of Titleist 690MBs when he was seven. Rai explained he has always worn head covers on his clubs to ‘appreciate the value of what I have’.

“I grew up in a working-class family, and golf has always been a very expensive game,” Rai told the PGA Tour’s Sirius XM.

“My dad used to pay for my equipment, he paid for my membership, paid for my entry fees. It wasn’t money that we really had, to be honest, but he’d always buy me the best clubs.

“I cherished [the Titleist 690MBs]. When we used to go out and practice, he used to clean every single groove afterwards with a pin and baby oil, and then to protect the golf clubs, he thought it would be good to put iron covers on them.

“And I’ve pretty much had iron covers on all my sets ever since, just to appreciate the value of what I have.”

For Rahm, Rai’s decision to continue putting headcovers on his irons attested to the Englishman’s character.

“Anybody who wears or uses head covers on his clubs because he coveted his irons when he was a kid so much that he wanted to respect the equipment… and to still do it?” Rahm said on Sunday, “That shows a lot about a person.”

Rai is also one of the few players who likes to wear two gloves. Typically, golfers only wear one glove on their lead hand. Players will sometimes wear two gloves in rainy or cold conditions.

When he was younger, Rai’s father reached out to local newspapers to gain sponsorship opportunities for his son. A man wrote back and asked if he’d like to use a pair of his gloves.

“They were all-weather, and I’d wear one on each hand,” Rai, who has stayed loyal to the brand all these years, said to Golf Digest.

“I loved them. At practice, I forgot one and had to play with one glove. It was awful. I’ve played with two for 20 years, still that same brand: Macwet.”

Who is his wife? And what golf tour did she play on?

Another person who has played a huge part in Rai’s rise to the top is his wife, Gaurika Bishnoi, a former player on the Ladies European Tour (LET).

Bishnoi starred during the 2025 Masters Par Three Contest, where she put her ball closer to the pin than her partner on the ninth hole.

“Her mindset, her advice, her thoughts, whether it’s technique or the way I’m holding myself, is absolutely invaluable,” Rai said. “She encompasses so many different sides in her opinions.

“We even had a conversation yesterday for probably 30 minutes in the car before we got back to the hotel, speaking a little bit about today. Some of the things that she mentioned in those conversations were really with me.

“I really wouldn’t be here without her.”

Rai’s route to the PGA Tour

The Englishman turned pro in 2012 and joined the Challenge Tour (the DP World Tour’s feeder series) in 2017. He won his DP World Tour card at the end of that year, before going on to claim his first victory on the circuit at the Hong Kong Open in 2018.

His second DP World Tour title came at the 2020 Scottish Open, and 12 months later, he earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Rai’s first victory on the PGA Tour came at the Wyndham Championship in 2024, and his most recent victory came at the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in November.

He credits much of his success to the work ethic his parents instilled in him when he was young.

“There are a lot of guys who work extremely hard,” Rai said. “The level on the PGA TOUR is so strong, let alone in a major championship. So I think that’s a prerequisite of what is just required to try and compete out here.

“It’s very reaffirming to know the things that we’re doing are working and leading to continued development within the game. Hopefully, I can just continue to move along a pretty similar path moving forward.”

On his relentless work ethic, Rai added: “I think a lot of that has come from upbringing, my mom, my dad, my siblings.

“Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age, but my mom and my siblings were very quick to continue to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things away from golf.”

What’s next for Rai?

Rai’s win at Aronimink and Rory McIlroy’s win at The Masters mark the first time in the modern major era that two Europeans have won in the opening two majors of a golf season.

While the Englishman’s attentions will quickly turn back to the PGA Tour, talk of him being included in Europe’s Ryder Cup Team has been bubbling away.

“He is a chance at the US Open and the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale if the course is firm and fast,” Sky Sports Golf analyst Wayne Riley said on Sunday.

“A lot of players, like Rory McIlroy, crank it down there.

“But you are going to come undone against a tactician who hits it on the fairway, never gets out of position and holes a few putts.

“Rai doesn’t really miss a heartbeat. He goes about his business, and he is an awesome player.

“He would be an awesome addition to the European Ryder Cup team.”

Rai is an experienced player, and despite missing the cut at The Players, his stock is on the rise, with two top-five finishes so far this season. His game will suit Shinnecock Hills, the host of next month’s US Open – a course that demands precision in all areas of one’s game.

But true to his unassuming nature, Rai is taking things one step at a time. At the time of writing, the Englishman is currently in the field to play at next week’s PGA Tour event, The CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

“I try not to consciously focus on it [the Ryder Cup] too much,” Rai said. “These things are always around, whether it’s the Ryder Cup, whether it’s the next major. Those are things you can never completely ignore, but I try not to focus on them as real motivations to push me forward.

“I hope to continue to move in a pretty similar way in terms of practice, training, application towards the game, and we’ll see where that takes me.”

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Golf?

The PGA Tour heads to Dallas, Texas, next week, for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where Scottie Scheffler will look to once again defend his title.

Watch all four rounds live on Sky Sports, with early coverage of the first round starting on Sky Sports+ on Thursday at 12.45pm, before full coverage gets under way at 5pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.