Aaron Rai Claims Maiden PGA Tour Victory at Wyndham Championship

England’s Aaron Rai secured his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina after an impressive closing round of 64 on a grueling final day. Rai’s triumph, marked by 36 holes of play at Sedgefield Country Club, overshadowed the misfortune of rookie Max Greyserman, who saw his four-shot lead slip away with only four holes remaining.

Rai’s victory came in his 89th PGA Tour appearance, finishing with an 18-under-par total of 262. After an earlier round of 68, he completed the final round without a single bogey, capping it off with a 2.5-meter birdie putt on the last hole. “Truly a dream come true,” Rai expressed, reflecting on his breakthrough win.

Rai’s performance also propelled him to 25th in the FedEx Cup standings. Despite a solid run, he recorded only two birdies in the last 12 holes but maintained his composure. “I did just a good job sticking to what we do well,” he said.

Max Greyserman, in pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory in just his 23rd start, finished two strokes behind Rai at 16 under. The rookie’s day was filled with highs and lows, including two eagles in the final round, one of which came from 91 yards on the 13th hole, giving him a four-stroke lead. However, disaster struck on the 14th hole when his tee shot went out of bounds after bouncing off a cart path, leading to a quadruple-bogey 8. Although he briefly regained the lead with a birdie on the next hole, a four-putt double-bogey on the par-3 16th handed the advantage back to Rai.

“Played really, really well this week. … Obviously, stuff happens sometimes in golf that it’s not meant to be,” Greyserman commented, vowing to bounce back quickly. This marked his second runner-up finish in just two weeks, having also placed second at the 3M Open. It was his fourth top-10 finish of the year. “Hopefully, it will be my time next time,” he added optimistically.

Greyserman’s third-round 66 had given him a three-stroke lead over amateur Luke Clanton, who rallied with a career-best 62 to enter the final round.

Veteran golfer Matt Kuchar, the second-round leader, found himself at 11 under for the tournament after a third-round 70. Playing alongside Greyserman, Kuchar chose not to finish the final hole due to darkness, leaving him tied for 12th. Kuchar needed to win the tournament to secure a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which he has qualified for every year since their inception in 2007. He will return to the course on Monday to complete his round.

The Wyndham Championship faced scheduling challenges due to weather delays, which led to the postponement of Thursday’s first round and another delay on Friday. For some golfers, Sunday’s endurance test began before the third round as they completed holes from the second round.

Luke Clanton, who played a total of 39 holes on Sunday, finished fifth at 14 under after carding rounds of 62 and 69. Among the Australian players in the field, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, and Aaron Baddeley all missed the halfway cut. However, Lee and Davis have qualified for the top 70 in the playoffs, joining fellow countrymen Jason Day and Adam Scott.