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<\/p>\nPHILADELPHIA\u2014On Sunday evening, as Aaron Rai was tearing up the back nine at Aronimink to snatch this PGA Championship, a couple of proper British blokes were discussing what is the most English thing about Rai.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the Brummie accent,\u201d said Mark Fulcher, Justin Rose\u2019s caddie, referencing the melodic, sing-songy lilt that evokes Rai\u2019s hometown of Wolverhampton in the Midlands of England. \u201cBut don\u2019t call it that because he might be insulted. Call it a Black Country accent. They are very, very proud people.\u201d<\/p>\n
And why is that?<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause that\u2019s where the Industrial Revolution began,\u201d said Rose, cleaning out his locker after a tie for tenth. \u201cThat is an important part of England\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a big Indian base there,\u201d said Fulcher. \u201cBest curries in the world,\u201d mused Rose. <\/p>\n
What are the other hallmarks of the Black Country? \u201cHardworking, tough people,\u201d said Rose. \u201cGritty. Dedicated to getting the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rai modeled all of that during a starmaking performance on Sunday. While every other contender was flummoxed by Aronimink\u2019s diabolical greens and suffocating rough, Rai roared to victory by playing the final ten holes in 6-under for a three stroke victory over a resurgent Jon Rahm and noted mama\u2019s boy Alex Smalley. <\/p>\n
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\u201cThere won\u2019t be a more popular winner this year,\u201d said Rory McIlroy, whose wayward driving doomed him to a tie for 7th.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because Rai is, according to Maverick McNealy, \u201cliterally the nicest guy in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t hurt a fly,\u201d says Max Greyserman. \u201cHe\u2019s such a sweet, gentle person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very calm,\u201d says Martin Kaymer. \u201cI think he\u2019s into Buddhism. It shows in his peacefulness.\u201d <\/p>\n
Rai is actually Sikh, one of the many ways he differs from the hunting-and-fishing SEC frat boys who populate professional golf. His father Amrik Singh was a standout tennis player who shelved his dreams of playing professionally to nurture his son\u2019s golf talent; father and son read golf books and magazines and obsessively watched VHS tapes of Tiger Woods to learn about the game. Aaron\u2019s mother Dalvir Shukla worked long shifts as a nurse to support the family but money was so tight that Rai learned the game with rag-tag hand-me-down clubs. (He famously uses iron covers to this day because he is obsessed with keeping his fancy clubs pristine, a window into Rai\u2019s humility.) After a modestly successful amateur career, Rai turned pro at 22. He slowly, methodically worked his up the ladder in Europe, finally breaking through with a win at the 2018 Hong Kong Open. He\u2019s never been long off the tee but, says Bud Cauley, \u201cHe hits it incredibly straight. Even in today\u2019s game, there\u2019s a place for a guy who almost never misses a fairway or green.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron doesn’t wear nice watches. He doesn\u2019t drink or smoke. He doesn\u2019t do social media. Everything in our life is about simplicity.<\/p>\n
In 2021, as the reigning Scottish Open, Rai bet on himself by entering the Boise Open as part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. A runner-up finish punched his ticket to the PGA TOUR. Rai immediately cut a distinctive figure, and not just because he wears gloves on both hands. (Hey, it gets cold in England!) His work ethic quickly became legendary on Tour. \u201cThere have been many, many practice session that go \u2018til dark,\u201d says his caddie Jason Timmis. \u201cI promise you, no one is outworking him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a humbleness in how he works,\u201d says Rose. \u201cHe has a belief system that is very strong. We all admire him because he does things his own way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rai stands out in other ways. Having settled in Jacksonville, he imported a white-on-red, right-hand drive, stick shift 1997 Honda Integra DC2 Type R, a cult classic among gearheads. Rai had loved the cars growing up and spent years searching for one to buy. \u201cIt was kind of a boyhood dream,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear it has 14\u201d rims,\u201d says Rose. \u201cIt\u2019s a very\u2014how should I put it?\u2014unique car. But that\u2019s Aaron for you. He cherishes that car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would never drive a fancy new car,\u201d says Rai\u2019s wife Gaurika Bishnoi. \u201cWe’re extremely simple people. We live a very simple life. We live in a nice, simple house. Aaron doesn’t wear nice watches. He doesn\u2019t drink or smoke. He doesn\u2019t do social media. Everything in our life is about simplicity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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They had a meet cute at the 2018 Indian Open. Gaurika\u2019s brother was serving as a standard-bearer in Rai\u2019s group and she followed him in solidarity. She began chatting with Rai\u2019s mother who was charmed enough to insist on fixing her up with her son. Gaurika is hardly a trophy wife: she has eight career victories on India\u2019s Hero Women\u2019s Pro Golf Tour and has competed on the Ladies European Tour. She often practices alongside her hubby and regularly beats him in chipping and putting contests. But Gaurika\u2019s biggest contribution is as Aaron\u2019s de facto sports psychologist. \u201cI used to be like, Do you not believe that you can win?\u201d she says. \u201cLike, why would you not say it?\u201d Aaron\u2019s reply? \u201cBecause the moment I say it, I’m just putting too much pressure on myself.\u201d Wins at the 2024 Wyndham Championship and in Abu Dhabi in \u201825 (in a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood) helped Rai believe in his star potential. A third round 67 at this PGA Championship propelled him into contention but afterward he needed another pep talk from his wife. \u201cHe did say that maybe sometimes I fear the things around me are going to change too much if I do something too serious about it,\u201d says Gaurika. <\/p>\n
He went and did it anyway. Sunday evening, Rai lifted golf\u2019s biggest trophy while elevating an entire sport. In these contentious times, we are lucky to have such a humble, likable champion. Perhaps it\u2019s now time to splurge on a new car?<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, I could never!\u201d Rai said, horrified. \u201cI am who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA\u2014On Sunday evening, as Aaron Rai was tearing up the back nine at Aronimink to snatch this PGA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[415],"class_list":["post-59104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-aaron-rai","tag-aaron-rai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}