Tommy’s Take: Aaron Rai Wins 108th US PGA Championship at Aronimink

Written By Kim Manunui

The 108th US PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, has reached a thrilling conclusion, and England has a new major champion. Aaron Rai, the Englishman known for his distinctive double-glove look, has captured the Wanamaker Trophy after a stunning final round.

Rai entered the final day in contention and produced a masterful closing performance, firing a five-under-par 65 to finish the tournament at nine-under-par. That brilliant score was enough to secure a historic victory at the famous Donald Ross-designed course.

With this win, Aaron Rai etches his name into the record books as only the second Englishman to ever win the US PGA Championship. The only previous English champion is Jim Barnes, who won the first two editions of this tournament back in its earliest days. Barnes, an England-born golfer, claimed the inaugural event in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in New York and successfully defended his title in 1919 when the championship resumed after World War I. Rai’s victory in 2026 breaks that 107-year drought.

The Tale of Two Gloves
For fans who have followed his career, Rai’s unique double-glove look started for a very simple reason: the cold English weather. When he was a junior golfer growing up and practicing in freezing conditions, his hands would get unbearably cold. So he started wearing a glove on his right hand as well as his left just to keep warm. He quickly discovered that he preferred the consistent feel of wearing two gloves, and he has stuck with it ever since. Amazingly, that childhood solution to the cold has become his trademark on the biggest stage in golf.

It has been an absolutely fantastic tournament. To see a really nice guy like Aaron Rai get his first major championship in such dramatic fashion is just brilliant. Amazing.

Kim Manunui

Hi, I’m Kim and I work with a great team to help individuals, as well as small and not so small businesses get their message, product and services to the world using digital media and creating wonderful websites that don’t cost the earth.

I was born in Canada, and grew up around Vancouver and the mountains of British Columbia. My love of pristine environments led me to New Zealand and eventually to the mountains, lakes and rivers of the central North Island which is home. My family’s heritage is here, and it’s from here that Korio traverses the planet.

The digital world is never static and neither are we.

And I say ‘we’ because I work with an awesome group of talented people who I gather together as required to complete a project.  Whatever your business, not-for-profit or individual needs are we gather the best team to get the job done.

Collaboratively we are creative, share sustainable values and work hard for great outcomes because that’s the buzz of satisfaction that drives us.

If you have an audience and market to reach, we can make that happen. Creative design, words that work and smart behind the scenes stuff that cuts through the online noise. We’ll design your website and then build it. We’ll manage the content as well as all your hosting needs. We can handle your online advertising so you get noticed,
and we’ll manage your social media presence so you get the clicks, likes and engagement to grow your business. All within the budget you set, because none of this needs to cost the earth.  And the job doesn’t stop when your website goes live. We are your virtual business partner.

https://www.korio.co.nz
Previous

Tommy’s Take:The Weekend of the Comeback Kings
Next

Tommy’s Take: The Calm Before the Major Storm