England's Aaron Rai clinched his first major championship with a stunning victory at the PGA Championship as Rory McIlroy's final-day challenge sizzled at times without ever catching fire.
The 31-year-old emerged from a chasing pack littered with major champions at Aronimink Golf Club to become the first English winner of the event in over a century.
Rai, whose previous best finish at a major was 19th, shot a sublime five-under 65 as he stormed to finish three shots clear of the field and is just the fifth European to win the US PGA.
The world number 44 from Wolverhampton – with three DP World Tour victories and a single PGA Tour win to his name – landed the UA$3.69m prize and clinched the Wanamaker Trophy.
McIlroy threatened to get right in the middle of the action on a couple of occasions but ultimately his inability to take advantage of the par fives proved his undoing and slowed his momentum.
The Masters champion parred both the 'long' ninth and 16th holes, meaning he played the par-fives in level par for the week. Rai, by contrast, played them in six-under-par.
McIlroy signed for a final-day 69, good enough for a four-under-par total and a top-five finish.
Three players held the lead during the final round of the championship as the congested leaderboard resulted in a thrilling final day.
But Rai evoked Philadelphia’s Rocky-style underdog spirit to be the last known survivor in the greatest moment of his career.
Shane Lowry carded a tidy 68 to close out his tournament on two-over-par overall while Pádraig Harrington wowed the crowds with a closing 69 that included a hole-out for eagle on the par-five 16th and a chip-in birdie in front of packed galleries on his final hole. The 54-year-old finished on one under and a tie for 18th.
Chip-in eagle from the bunker for Pádraig Harrington at the 16th! 👏🦅#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Yh17pnSlWS
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2026
