Why Aaron Rai winning the 2026 US PGA Championship was a fitting victory in Rocky Balboa’s backyard

Rai’s dad Amrik used to take him to 3 Hammers for lessons with instructor Darren Prosser, with the youngster going out on the par-three course afterwards to put what had been taught into practice.

Rai already possessed a rare tunnel-visioned focus – a trait which set him apart from the rest at Aronimink – for a player so callow, says Prosser.

By the age of 10, Rai was coached by Andrew Proudman – who also worked in the 3 Hammers pro shop – in tandem with another Wolverhampton pro Piers Ward, and the pair still guide Rai to this day.

When Prosser’s path crossed with Rai again several years later – at a regional qualifier for the Open Championship in Coventry – he realised the teenager had rapidly developed into a potential tour prospect.

“I hardly recognised him,” Prosser told BBC Radio 5 Live. “In such a short time he’d shot up and he was a really strong guy.

“He was right on it physically and mentally and you thought he was he was ready to go professional then.”

Rai hailed the impact of his “mentors” Proudman and Ward in his post-victory news conference at Aronimink, but the most gratitude eternally goes to his parents for their sacrifices in helping him reach the pinnacle of his chosen career.

An emotional Rai said it was “hard to express everything they mean” to him.

His father Amrik quit his job to devote more time to Rai’s development on the course, with his mother Dalvir – who is of Kenyan-Indian descent – working long hours to support things financially.

“I can’t put into words how much they’ve done in terms of the support, in terms of the care, in terms of love. I wouldn’t be here without them at all,” said Rai.

As one of very few British Asians who have played professionally, Rai told BBC Sport in 2018 that pursuing golf professionally might not always have been met with encouragement from some parents of Indian descent.

Speaking then, he said his folks always encouraged him to pursue his dream – especially his father, who turned down a tennis scholarship in the United States at the age of 20.

“Being from an Indian family was different back in those days,” said Rai, who turned professional in 2012.