Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship on Sunday becoming the first Englishman to lift the Wanamaker Trophy in over a century
England’s Aaron Rai claimed victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday following a stunning final round. He collected approximately £2.7million for his performance at Aronimink Golf Club, with his caddie set to benefit handsomely as well.
The Wanamaker Trophy was hoisted by an Englishman for the first time in more than a century on Sunday evening, as the 31-year-old produced an extraordinary back nine to secure his maiden major title.
Rai had never recorded a top-10 finish at one of golf’s major championships prior to teeing off in his final round, but displayed remarkable composure as he fought his way into contention for the title. A stunning 69-foot putt on the 17th green sealed the deal as he finished on nine under par to be crowned champion.
The USPGA’s prize pot was boosted to £15m this year, with Rai claiming around £2.7m. His bagman, Jason Timmis, will receive a substantial share of these winnings.
Caddies generally earn roughly 10 per cent of a player’s prize money in professional golf, although it should be noted that this can differ based on the arrangement between the pair.
For Timmis, this could mean that Rai’s PGA Championship triumph has netted him £270,000. Rai has been partnered with Timmis for seven years, having first teamed up in 2019.
This payday represents the largest earned by Rai throughout his PGA Tour career, during which he has accumulated around £12m in total. His triumph at Aronimink accounts for nearly a quarter of this sum.
He last tasted victory on Tour at the 2024 Wyndham Championship, where he collected just over £1m for his win at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro.
Rai embraced his wife, Gaurika Bishnoi, following his historic major triumph on Sunday and credited his family when questioned about how he achieved it.
“I think a lot of that has come from upbringing, my mom, my dad, my siblings,” Rai said. “Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age.
“But my mom and my siblings were very fast to continue to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things away from golf. My dad was with me … every day practice-wise, and he really instilled the importance of work and dedication and trying to consistently build just good, strong habits around the game.
“My mom worked extremely hard away from golf. Her jobs, she worked a couple of jobs at one time, at a point in time, and she did a lot of work around the house. My sister took a massive role as well at a young age.
“She had a job from the age of 14, 15. So there was a lot of consistent messaging of hard work, and that was generally the environment that was there at the house. And that was at the golf course as well.”
