Edoardo Molinari has revealed what Aaron Rai has done during his golfing career that he has never seen in any other player at any level of the game.
Rai is now a major champion after producing a stunning performance on the back nine on Sunday at the PGA Championship.
The 31-year-old became the first Englishman to win the Wanamaker Trophy since 1919 as he finished on nine under par at Aronimink.
Edoardo Molinari amazed by the improvement Aaron Rai has made during his career
Rai was far from the biggest name in contention heading into the final round at the second major of the year. Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg were two shots back of the lead, while Rory McIlroy was also in the mix. Scottie Scheffler could not be discounted if he got to a fast start in Philadelphia.
However, Rai looked in complete control once he hit the front on Sunday. And when he rolled in a putt of nearly 70 feet on the 71st hole, it was clear that Rai was going to get across the line.
He had previously won once on the PGA Tour, while he also has a handful of wins on the DP World Tour. But his most recent result has launched Rai to another level.
And speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Edoardo Molinari explained why Rai’s major victory probably should not have come as a big surprise to anyone who has followed his career closely.
“Aaron is very, very humble, very level-headed, very nice to everyone that he meets, kids and spectators, everyone. He really tries to make you feel comfortable. He really tries, he goes out of his own way to make you feel good. He’s an amazing human being, a great player as well. Incredible work attitude, work ethic is second to none. He spends so much time practicing, in the gym, practice rounds, anything,” he said.
“It goes to show, I was looking at some numbers last night and he’s, I think, the only player I know was able to improve his game for eight consecutive years. If you look at his strokes gained total back in 2018, and he got a bit better in ’19, a bit better in ’20. Every year he has been improving. That’s unheard of at any level, let alone at the very top of the game.”
How close Aaron Rai came to making the 2025 Ryder Cup team
Rai was certainly a contender to make the 2025 Ryder Cup team at Bethpage. On paper, he appears to be a dream partner in the foursomes with his apparent inability to miss a fairway.
He ended up finishing 15th in the qualification standings. But with Jon Rahm down in 24th following his move to LIV Golf, it was no surprise that Rai was one of the players who was overlooked.
And Molinari went on to explain why Rai was not given the opportunity to make his Ryder Cup debut in New York.
“It was a combination of things. We had a lot of the guys from Rome playing really well. Rasmus qualified almost on the very last event. And there were, to be fair, a lot of guys in contention, including Aaron, including Harry Hall, Marco Penge, you can name five or six of them. Noren was vice-captain, but he could have been playing as well. I’m surely missing someone, but we had a list of five, six, seven guys,” he said.
“He was in the conversation for sure. It’s one of those things that it’s so difficult to make a Ryder Cup, and it’s even more difficult to make it as a rookie when you’re playing away. There’s a lot more that goes into it, so it was a shame that he wasn’t there the last time. But I’m sure if he keeps playing the way he is now, he’ll be at Adare.”
Rai is somewhat unlucky that his major victory came the year before the Ryder Cup. However, as Molinari suggests, he will surely be involved at Adare Manor if he takes another step forward next season.
