Aaron Rai shot a 5-under 65 in the final round Sunday to pull away from a loaded leaderboard and win the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, becoming the first English-born golfer to claim the Wanamaker Trophy since 1919.
The victory came after one of the more crowded final-round leaderboards in recent major history. According to CBS Sports, heading into Sunday's final round, Alex Smalley held a two-shot lead, with Ludvig Åberg and Jon Rahm just behind. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Reed were three shots off the pace, and a long list of major winners including Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, and Rickie Fowler were all in contention.
Rai navigated that crowded field with a final round that separated him from the stars behind him. ESPN reported that he pulled away from the game's biggest names to secure the title.
Aronimink Golf Club, located outside Philadelphia, is a rare stop on the major rotation. The 2026 PGA Championship was the second major of the season. The field Sunday teed off starting at 7:45 a.m. Eastern, with prime television coverage running on CBS from 1 to 7 p.m.
Rai's win marks a historic moment for English golf. No English-born player had won the PGA Championship in more than a century, making Sunday's performance one of the more notable results in the tournament's long history.