Aaron Rai is so beloved by his peers that Billy Horschel was once rooting for him to win ... while playing with him
Raj Mehta
After Aaron Rai's breakthrough victory on Sunday at the PGA Championship, it seems like fellow tour pros are practically tripping over themselves to compliment the guy. Not just for his kind demeanor, but for his tireless work ethic. Xander Schauffele told a great story that explains why he's now a major winner. Jon Rahm pointed out that, while he hasn't spent much time with Rai, he's heard that he's one of "nicer and kinder human beings" in golf. You will not find anyone with a bad word to say about the Englishman. Well, except casuals online who think his iron covers and black gloves are unappealing looking.
His peers, though, love him. A resurfaced clip from the 2024 Wyndham Championship, featuring a hilarious cameo from Billy Horschel, is all the proof you need of that.
To set the scene, Horschel was playing in one of the final few groups at Sedgefield, alongside Rai and Cameron Young. Tied at the time with Max Greyserman at 17 under, Rai hit a dart at the par-3 16th hole. When it landed, you can hear a voice say "get up. GET UP!" That was the voice of Horschel, who was then seen fist-pumping Rai as they walked off the tee:
We've seen buddies waiting behind the 18th green as someone polishes off a win, but we can't recall seeing somebody actively rooting on a peer in-tournament as they came down the stretch. Just goes to show that when you are as kind of a human as Rai is, even your opponents want to see you succeed.
And succeed he did. Rai didn't make the birdie putt on 16 that year, but he did make birdie on the final hole to post 18 under, enough to win by two over Greyserman. Since then he's added wins at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour this past November, and now at the PGA. Safe to say there's more wins to come, and no one will be mad about a single one of them.
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