Why Aaron Rai winning the 2026 US PGA Championship was a fitting victory in Rocky Balboa’s backyard
Rai’s father Amrik used to take him to the 3 Hammers for lessons with trainer Darren Prosser and the youngster was then on to the par three course to put into practice what he had been taught.
Prosser says Rai already has rare tunnel vision, a trait that allowed him to triumph in Aronimink for such a novice player.
By the age of 10, Rai was coached by Andrew Proudman, who also works at the 3 Hammers professional shop, alongside another Wolverhampton professional, Piers Ward, and the pair continue to mentor Rai to this day.
When Prosser crossed paths with Rai again a few years later at the Open Championship regional qualifiers in Coventry, he realized the youngster was quickly developing into a potential tour prospect.
“I hardly recognized him,” Prosser told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He got back on his feet in such a short time and was a really strong guy.
“He was right about it, physically and mentally, and that’s when you thought he was ready to go pro.”
Rai praised the influence of his “mentors” Proudman and Ward at the post-victory press conference in Aronimink, but the greatest gratitude forever belongs to his parents for their sacrifice in helping him reach the top of his chosen career.
An emotional Rai told him that “it was difficult to express everything they understood”.
Amrik quit his job to devote more time to Rai’s development on the track, and Dalvir, of Kenyan-Indian descent, worked long hours to support things financially.
“I can’t put into words how much they’ve done in terms of support, care and love. I wouldn’t be here without them,” Rai said.
Very few British Asians have played golf at the highest level and, speaking to BBC Sport again in 2018, Rai said pursuing the game professionally may not always be encouraged by some parents of Indian origin.
But he said his family, especially his father, who turned down a tennis scholarship to the United States when he was 20, always encouraged him to follow his dream.
“Being from an Indian family was different in those days,” said Rai, who turned professional in 2012.
“It was more about education and getting a decent job, and back then sports or tennis were never considered real jobs.
“The pressure to have certain types of careers probably came from the previous generation, and certain career paths in our culture are still more trodden.”
