Aaron Rai performed unbelievably well during the final round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink on Sunday.
Rai entered the PGA Championship last week as an unheralded journeyman but he left Aronimink as a major champion.
The 31-year-old Englishman may not have the charisma of some of the big stars in the game today, but he taught all of them a thing or two about strategy, focus and producing under the most intense pressure on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Aaron Rai’s performance on the back nine of the PGA Championship on Sunday was truly sensational.
In fact, including his eagle on the ninth hole, he played his last 10 holes at Aronimink in six-under par.
Can you imagine the scenes had Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy produced a run like that to win the tournament?
PGA Tour urged to make rule change as Aaron Rai wins the PGA Championship
Rai’s PGA Championship win proved how popular he is amongst his fellow pros.
Many PGA Tour players came out after the Englishman’s victory to praise him both as a golfer and a person.
His golf game is clearly very underrated. He may be a fairly short hitter but when courses become hard and fast, Rai comes into his own.
The man from Wolverhampton in England is now ranked as the world number 15, and he’s totally deserving of that status.
Johnson Wagner was speaking on the Golf on CBS show on Sunday evening, and urged the PGA Tour to change one rule next season as a result of Rai’s victory at Aronimink.
“The signature event model stinks,“ Wagner exclaimed.
“Aaron Rai was playing in Myrtle Beach last week. He was in the final group, both Saturday and Sunday, played good, just not good enough to win.
“He comes to the PGA Championship, and I mean, I’m not going to call this a runaway, but like, if you’re good enough to win a PGA championship, and we’re playing for $20 million at Quail Hollow where there are only 72 guys and he’s not in it?
“I really hope –– Brian Rolapp, I’m gonna talk to you right now.
“Make the fields in these PGA Tour events bigger.
“If you want to shrink them down to 120 from 156, I’m fine with it. But they’ve got to be 120-man fields.“
What Brian Rolapp has said about PGA Tour field sizes for Signature Events
Since Rolapp was named as the PGA Tour’s new CEO last year, he has made it very clear that he is not afraid to mix things up.
Back in March, Rolapp unveiled a new six-point plan which he believes will improve the PGA Tour as a product.
After Wagner’s comments following Aaron Rai’s win at the PGA Championship, it’s worth taking a look back at what Rolapp actually said about field sizes two months ago.
When speaking ahead of The Players Championship, Rolapp outlines his plans for the Signature Events moving forward.
“A key consideration has been establishing more consistent fields to the PGA TOUR,” he explained.
“This means moving away from small fields and no-cut events.
“Our best events will have larger fields. Ideally, we are targeting something closer to 120-player fields with a cut. That consistently matters.
“It helps fans know who they will see and showcases who they want to see, the most competitive players.
“It helps partners know what they’re investing in, and it helps players better understand the competitive landscape in their schedules, all while embracing meritocracy.“
The PGA Tour bringing 120-man fields with cuts into play is an absolute no-brainer.
As Johnson Wagner suggested, Aaron Rai’s win at the PGA Championship proved that he should have been playing in the Truist Championship last week rather than in the Myrtle Beach Classic.
