“Even as [Aaron Rai] is a champion, he’s not forgetting how he was raised, and that is great parenting.” @AKinkhabwala gives her ‘May Flowers’ to Aaron Rai’s father after Aaron’s 2026 PGA Championship victory. 🥹
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Fresh off the biggest victory of his career, Aaron Rai has officially announced where golf fans can see him compete next.
The newly crowned PGA Championship winner is heading to the 2026 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club, with a purse worth $20 million.
Rai’s commitment means he will compete against several of golf’s biggest stars, including Rory McIlroy and world No. 1 and back-to-back Memorial Tournament winner Scottie Scheffler.
Rai enters the Memorial Tournament after delivering one of the most surprising victories in recent major championship history.
The 31-year-old English golfer captured the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club after shooting a final-round 65 to finish at 9-under par.
Rai entered the final round trailing by two shots before pulling away from a crowded leaderboard that featured more than two dozen golfers within striking distance at one point Sunday afternoon.
The defining moment came on the 17th hole when Rai drained a dramatic 68-foot birdie putt to extend his lead to three shots.
“Very surreal,” Rai said after the victory.
“Definitely wasn’t trying to hole that putt [at 17]. … Amazing to see that go in.”
The win marked the first major championship of Rai’s career and made him just the second English golfer to win the PGA Championship since 1919.
Rai finished three shots ahead of Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley.
Before winning the PGA Championship, Rai’s lone PGA Tour victory came at the Wyndham Championship in 2024.
Rai joins one of the strongest Memorial Tournament fields in recent years.
Scheffler, the reigning back-to-back Memorial Tournament champion and current world No. 1 player, officially committed to the event on April 30.
McIlroy, who recently won back-to-back Masters titles, also confirmed after the PGA Championship that he planned to compete at Muirfield Village.
Additional notable golfers already committed include Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay, and Viktor Hovland.
The Memorial Tournament currently has 14 committed players, including several major champions and Ryder Cup participants.
“Even as [Aaron Rai] is a champion, he’s not forgetting how he was raised, and that is great parenting.” @AKinkhabwala gives her ‘May Flowers’ to Aaron Rai’s father after Aaron’s 2026 PGA Championship victory. 🥹
While Rai’s breakthrough victory introduced him to a wider audience, longtime golf fans already recognized him for one unique trademark — wearing two gloves during competition.
Rai previously explained the unusual approach during a 2025 interview with Golf Monthly.
“I just happened to be given these two gloves — the guy who actually makes them sent a pair over — and I got into the habit of wearing them,” Rai explained.
“Then, a few weeks down the line, my dad forgot to put the two gloves in the bag so I had to play with one. It was terrible. I couldn’t play, I couldn’t feel the grip, so I’ve always stuck with the two gloves ever since.”
The habit developed while Rai was growing up playing golf in cold conditions throughout England.
Despite consistent PGA Tour performances over recent years, Rai had never seriously contended at a major championship before his breakthrough at Aronimink.
Prior to the PGA Championship, his best major finishes included several top-20 placements.
He also won the Par-3 Contest at the Masters earlier this year before finishing 48th in the tournament itself.
Perry Miller Carpenter Perry Carpenter is a writer and editor with 20 years of experience covering entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. She is also a standout contributor at Heavy.com’s sister site Entertainment Now. More about Perry Miller Carpenter
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