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Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday, taking home the $3.69 million winner’s check from the tournament’s record $20.5 million purse.
The victory is the first major championship win for Rai, 31, who shocked the field of superstars. The Englishman, who is of Indian and Kenyan descent, had previously only won one on the PGA Tour, the 2024 Wyndham Championship. His Official World Golf Ranking heading into the PGA Championship was No. 44.
Rai’s career earnings boosted to just over $16 million with the win.
This weekend marked the biggest stage for CBS since the network botched the conclusion of Rory McIlroy’s second consecutive Masters win back in April. No major coverage issues arose on Sunday, though. Viewership for the final round will be available later this week.
LIV Golf in Spotlight
LIV Golf—which is fighting for survival as the Saudi PIF pulls its funding—had two of its most well-known players in the mix Sunday, despite the league having its smallest contingent at the tournament since launching in 2022 and its biggest star, Bryson DeChambeau, missing the cut.
Jon Rahm finished tied for second—the best among the 11 LIV players at the PGA Championship, while Cam Smith was tied for seventh.
The future of LIV was a major talking point throughout the PGA Championship. Ahead of the tournament, Rory McIlroy said he knew about LIV losing its Saudi funding before the players did.
Philly Special
The crowds at Aronmink, located just outside of Philadelphia, were lively throughout the tournament, despite ticket prices for the sold-out event dropping below face value (which was between $200 and $300) on the resale market. Total attendance has not been released, but early projections were forecasting around 200,000 fans.
This marked the sixth year of the PGA Championship’s all-inclusive concessions program, which gives all attendees free food and non-alcoholic beverages once inside the gates.
Moving forward, Pennsylvania officials are hoping to lure the PGA Tour to the Philadelphia area for an annual event as the PGA Tour prioritizes playing more regularly in larger markets.
Course Critiques
The course setup and difficulty were criticized by some notable players throughout the PGA Championship.
“Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd,” Scottie Scheffler said Friday after his second round. “They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be.”
After two rounds, there were 44 players within five shots of the 36-hole leaders Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy.
“I think a bunched leaderboard like this, I think it’s a sign of not a great setup,” Rory McIlroy said Friday evening. “I think when it’s as bunched as it is, [it’s] because it hasn’t really enabled anyone to separate themselves. … I’ve always felt like really good setups, it starts to spread the field a bit, and not great setups sort of bring everyone together. I feel like that’s what’s happened the last two days.”
The PGA Championship course setup is led by the PGA of America’s chief championships officer, Kerry Haigh.
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