Aaron Rai is currently the top-ranking golf player that hails from the West Midlands, and at 28 years old he is very much still in the early stages of his career.
Playing at a professional level since 2012 on both the PGA and European tours, Rai has put Wolverhampton on the map all over the globe.
Playing amongst the greats
On his worldwide tournaments, he regularly competes against the greatest active and renowned golf players, such as Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman, who line out on the same courses that Rai tees off on year-round.
Nice to add another National Open to the CV. Incredible week in Scotland. Can’t wait to come back next year. @ScottishOpen pic.twitter.com/3N0c8MCVYh
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) July 16, 2023
McIlroy is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, a winner of four major tournaments. The Northern Irishman is even one of the favourites to win a fifth major and 2nd US Open this year at odds of 10/1 at Paddy Power golf.
However, since joining PGA Tour in 2022 he has already recorded five top-10 finishes, which proves that Rai is certainly not phased by competing alongside remarkable talents.
Professional victories
The PGA EuroPro Tour in 2015, where he claimed victory at the Glenfarclas Open defeating Craig Hinton in a playoff to secure the maiden triumph of his professional days, was only the starting point for his lasting success history.
He went on to claim three victories on the Challenge Tour of 2017, starting at the Barclays Kenya Open – one of his most significant achievements considering he finished first in his mother’s home country. His next win on the 2017 tour came in May in Andalusia Costa Del Sol Match Play Nine, where he prevailed over Irishman Gavin Moynihan, as he was two holes ahead with one hole remaining. The 2017 culminating victory took place at Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France after he beat Dane Morten Orum Madsen by five strikes to round out one of the most successful years of his professional career.
The accumulation of three Challenge Tour victories earned Rai a place on the European Tour and he has not looked back since.
In the Honma Hong Kong Open he defeated his compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick by a single stroke in order to earn his first victory on the card in November 2018.
However, his arguably most impressive triumph of all came in Aberdeen in 2020 in the Standard Investments Scottish Open, a tournament in which he got the better of a top player Tommy Fleetwood via a playoff. This win was a major breakthrough point in his career, since it allowed Rai to enter the Top 100 world rankings for the first-ever time.
Would you sooner golf with 2 black gloves like Aaron Rai or no gloves like Lucas Glover? pic.twitter.com/l4qvbC0mGV
— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) June 10, 2023
The 28-year-old is entering the peak of his career and maybe he could compete for glory at a major event in the future. He may already be the leading player from his region, but we may not have seen his best yet.
