England’s Aaron Rye won his first major title with a sensational three-stroke victory at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Rye entered the final round with a two-stroke lead and was up by three with 10 holes remaining, but his explosive 40-foot eagle on the par-5 ninth No. 9 propelled him up the crowded leaderboard.
The world No. 44 continued to score points, including two birdies in a three-hole stretch from the 11th hole, and a sensational 70-foot putt from the 16th to the par-3 17th, gaining control and making three shots.
Key statistics of Rai’s victory at Aronimink
Lai played alongside Ludwig Oberg, who finished the final day at 5 under.
At the end, he made a two-putt par to close out the final round with a 65, ending the week at 9 under. Rye ended the American winning streak at the PGA Championship at 10 and became the first British player to win the PGA Championship since Jim Burns in 1919.
Jon Rahm chased his third career Grand Slam and finished tied for second with overnight leader Alex Smalley, while two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas shared fourth place with Ludwig Aberg and Germany’s Matti Schmidt.
Rory McIlroy’s bid for consecutive major titles ended in a tie for seventh place, five strokes behind Xander Schauffele and Cameron Smith, but Kurt Kitayama moved into the top 10 with a round of 63 on the day, and Scottie Scheffler finished his final round of 69 to finish his title defense at 2 under.
How Rai got through the big thriller with Aronimink
Approximately 30 players entered the final round within five under of the lead, and Rahm, who made a birdie-birdie start, took the lead and tied with Smalley at six under.
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Jon Rahm birdies the first two holes of the final round of the PGA Championship
Rahm dropped back with a bogey on the next hole, and Smalley held 25 feet for par to maintain the lead, but after just three swings on the sixth, Smalley made a double bogey and Schmidt holed in from 20 feet for his third birdie in five holes.
Playing two groups behind the leader, Rye birdied the opening hole to fall back one spot, but bogeys on the sixth and eighth put him two spots behind, but a long-distance eagle on the ninth moved him back into a tie for second place, one spot behind Schmidt.
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Rye got back into contention by holding a 40-foot eagle putt on the ninth green at Aronimink.
After starting the back nine with a bogey, the German handed the lead to Rye, who birdied the 11th from close range and made a driveable shot on the par-4 13th that rose and fell from a greenside bunker.
Schmidt halved his lie advantage with a birdie on the same hole, but fell back three spots as the Wolverhampton golfer took control of the tournament, two-putting from 20 feet for birdie on the par-5 16th and holed the longest putt of the week on the next hole to all but seal victory.
Rye then hit the legal green on the final par-4 and two-putted for the winning par. His victory marks the first time in modern history that a European player has won the opening two men’s majors of the year.
“(The win) is very surreal,” Lai said. “It’s been a bit of a frustrating season, so to be here is definitely beyond my imagination. I think the consistency of my practice over the past few weeks has been really good. My body feels great and I really enjoyed the course this week.”
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Aaron Rye shot a 5-under 65 to win the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. See how he achieved victory
Rahm finished the week with a final round of 68 with four birdies and two bogeys, finishing the week at 6 under par. Smalley made an Eagles three on the 16th, then canceled out the next bogey with a 20-foot birdie to move into second place.
Scheffler and McIlroy aren’t as good as Aronimink.
McIlroy hit a 10-footer on the first to save par, then birdied the second to get within two points, but his hopes for a third PGA Championship win increased when he closed out the rest of the front nine with pars.
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Rory McIlroy managed just two birdies in the final round of the PGA Championship, finishing five seconds behind winner Aaron Rye.
The world No. 2 player was unable to capitalize on his 379-yard tee shot on the par-5 ninth, and his par streak ended with a bogey on the drivable 13th. So I hit a fickle 3-wood into the rough and couldn’t hit the green on my second shot.
McIlroy held on to some hope with a 25-foot birdie on the next hole, but was unable to capitalize on the 16th, and the par-5 remains level par for the week, finishing in a tie for seventh, matching his best finish at the PGA Championship since winning in 2014.
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McIlroy ejects a fan after being heckled on the 16th hole of the final round at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler entered the final day five spots outside the top 20 as he sought his fifth major title of the season, but the world No. 1, who could complete a career Grand Slam at next month’s U.S. Open, struggled on the greens all week.
“When I look back on a week like this, I feel like I’ve had a really good year on the greens. Having a disappointing week on the greens in a major is a tough pill to swallow,” Scheffler admitted to Sky Sports, who missed six putts from inside five feet earlier in the week.
Scheffler carded rounds of 67, 71, 71 and 69 during the tournament.
What’s next?
The PGA Tour heads to the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas, where Scheffler returns as the defending champion. Early coverage starts at 12.45pm on Thursday on Sky Sports+ and 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.
The DP World Tour will host the Soudal Open in Belgium, and the next men’s major is the US Open at Shinnecock Hills from June 18 to 21, both of which will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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