The 2026 PGA Championship came to a close on Sunday, and in a fitting ending, Aaron Rae was victorious at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
Despite challenging conditions on Friday, Rai managed to overcome the odds and hoist the Wanamaker Trophy.
Here are the 10 winners and losers of the 2026 PGA Championship.
Winner: Aaron Rae, PGA Championship winner
Aaron Rae won a major championship for the first time in his career. His best performance in a major before Sunday was T19 on three separate occasions. Rai, who is known for wearing golf gloves on both hands, recorded four birdies on the back nine for a final round 65. His round was sealed with a 68-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.th To take a three-shot lead. It was his second PGA Tour win and his first since winning the 2024 Windham Championship. Roy is also the first Englishman since 1919 to win the PGA Championship.
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Loser: Alex Smalley
Despite a 54-hole lead, Alex Smalley was unable to hold the lead and win the Wanamaker Trophy, finishing runner-up, three shots behind Rae. Smalley didn’t get off to a good start with a double bogey on the par-4 sixth and a bogey on the par-3 sixth. However he responded with birdie on the par-5 ninth and eagle on the par-5th 16thThis was not enough to get the job done. However, he recorded his best major performance on Sunday.
Winner: Jon Rahm
Since leaving the PGA Tour and moving to LIV Golf, Jon Rahm has struggled in four major championships. Despite finishing in the top 10 at the PGA Championship and US Open last year, he did not compete in any of the eight majors. Rahm closed his 10th PGA Championship runner-up and tied with Smalley. Despite two birdies on the first two holes, he had two bogeys on the next five holes.
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Winner: Justin Thomas
The two-time PGA Championship winner came close to victory again. Justin Thomas, who hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2017 and 2022, recorded a final round of 65 and finished fourth. Had he not shot a 2-over 72 on Saturday, it might have been a different story for the Alabama alumnus. Thomas also recorded his best performance this season at Aronimink Golf Club this week. After an early bogey on the third hole, he made six birdies the rest of the way to record his fourth top 10 at the PGA Championship.
Loser: Crowded Leaderboard
For those hoping someone would open early on a Sunday or Saturday, you didn’t find one. After Friday, when the field was halved, there were more than 50 players within six shots of the lead, making it possible for anyone to win the PGA Championship. As a result, the championship storyline progressed to Sunday before Rai won.
Winner: Ludwig Aberg
Since his 2024 Masters runner-up finish, Ludwig Aberg has not been able to reach that contention level with four missed cuts. However, on Sunday, Aberg returned to that form, finishing tied for fourth at 5-under par. This included three consecutive rounds under par on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. His top-five finish this week is his fifth in the last seven starts, not including last week’s T8 at the Truist Championship.
Winner: Kurt Kitayama
Although Kurt Kitayama was in contention on Sunday, Kitayama finished his PGA Championship debut in style. He shot a bogey-free 7-under 63, which included birdies on the first three holes. His score was also the best score of Sunday’s final round. As a result, he finished xx, scoring his first top 10 in a major since the 2023 PGA Championship.
Loser: Bryson DeChambeau
For his second consecutive major championship and third in the last four major championships, Bryson DeChambeau failed to make the weekend. The LIV golf star, who also missed the cut at the Masters last month, shot 6-over in the opening round. It included five bogies and one double bogie. Although he finished his second round with three consecutive birdies, it was not enough.
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Winner: Ben Kern
One of the beauties of the PGA Championship is that the PGA of America allows its professionals to compete in major championships. Of the 20 players who qualified for this week’s PGA Championship, Ben Kern was the only PGA Professional to make the cut. Kern, who teaches golf at Hickory Hills Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio, was ranked XX. His tournament was highlighted by recording a 5-under 67 during Friday’s windy conditions, the third-best score in the second round.
Loser: Garrick Higgo
Garrick Higgo was popular on Thursday, but for the wrong reasons. way before and 10th Tee boxes are set, players remove tees from each hole every five minutes. (Normally on the PGA Tour, players tee off in 10-minute intervals.) However, Higgo, whose tee time was 7:18 a.m., arrived at the tee box a minute late. A delay of more than 60 seconds resulted in a penalty of two strokes. And because of the penalty, he missed the cut by a stroke.
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