England’s Aaron Rai secured his first PGA Tour victory after taking pictures an 18-under-par whole to win the Wyndham Championship.
The 29-year-old from Wolverhampton closed with a 6-under 64 within the FedExCup Common Season finale held at Sedgefield Nation Membership in North Carolina to win by two photographs from Max Greyserman.
“It actually is a dream come true,” stated Rai, who’s a two-time winner on the DP World Tour. ”So many individuals have performed an enormous position in me being at this level.”
Along with his sensible play, Rai’s path victory was dealt an enormous increase when long-time chief Greyserman threw away a four-shot lead in a single disastrous gap on the again 9 on Sunday.
QUADTRUPLE BOGEY
The 29-year-old American, enjoying in his first season on the PGA Tour, racked up a expensive quadruple-bogey eight on the par-four 14th gap after his tee shot hit a cart path and bounced out of bounds. He then discovered a bunker along with his method to the inexperienced along with his second ball.
After shedding his lead, Greyserman, who shot 60 within the second spherical – four-putted the par-3 sixteenth from 40 ft handy the benefit to Rai. The American finally closed with a 69 for outright second on 16 below.
“If that [tee shot on 14] doesn’t hit the cart path, we’re in all probability in a special state of affairs,” Greyserman stated later. “That doesn’t imply that that one bounce is the explanation that I didn’t win. I performed adequate to form of run away with it, however clearly stuff occurs in golf and generally it’s not meant to be.”
TWO ROUNDS IN A DAY
Sunday proved a gruellingly lengthy day, with your complete subject having to play 36 holes after play was washed out by rain on Thursday and delayed on Friday and Saturday.
Rai stated he didn’t take a look at the leaderboards all day and didn’t know his standing within the match, even when enjoying the final gap, the place he secured a birdie.
“I didn’t actually look and didn’t ask to know that data,” Rai stated. “I believe that was in all probability a great factor that helped me simply to concentrate on the golf. I used to be enjoying nicely and I knew that if I completed off nicely, you then by no means know what can occur.”
OVERDUE VICTORY
Rai’s first PGA Tour success has been a long-time coming, regardless of being a relative newcomer on the US circuit, having joined it full-time in 2021.
The 29-year-old had loved six top-10 finishes this season coming into the Wyndham Championship, with 4 coming in his final 5 begins, highlighting a person in kind.
This yr he ranks fourth in Strokes Gained: Complete, eighth in Method, tenth in Tee to Inexperienced and third in Driving Accuracy. He has additionally made 17 cuts from 21 occasions.
The win moved Rai as much as 53rd within the PGA Tour level record, qualifying him for the primary occasion of the FedExCup, which begins on the FedEx St Jude Championship on Thursday (August 15).
For all of the scores from the Wyndham Championship, click on right here.
AARON RAI WITB
Driver: TaylorMade M6 (9°)
Fairway woods: TaylorMade Qi10 (3 (15°), 5, (18°))
Hybrid: Titleist TSR2 (24°)
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW (5-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46, 48, 54, 60)
Putter: TaylorMade TP Dupage
Ball: Titleist Professional V1
