Tiger Woods’ legendary career entered an upward trajectory after his 1997 Masters win. The same goes for Arnold Palmer, who became a household name after his first major championship win at the 1958 Masters. That’s what winning a major championship does to a golfer. It makes them popular and brings hundreds of congratulatory messages. For Aaron Rai, though, that came with an unexpected gesture from Jack Nicklaus.
“There were moments that kind of blew me away who reached out, whether it was online or via letter. The one that stands out for me was Jack Nicklaus. He sent a note to our house that was a handwritten letter, and that was the following week after the PGA Championship. So opening that letter and reading it was quite surreal,” Aaron Rai said ahead of the BMW PGA Championship 2026.
“I’d met him — I was fortunate enough to meet him a few times before at the Memorial event, which he hosts. Met him a couple of times at the Cognizant event as well. That’s a golf course that he’s designed, which is a PGA TOUR event. But generally in passing, very brief conversation. But, yeah, that was the first time that he had reached out and written.”
A week before the win, the English professional left a handwritten letter for Pablo Larrazábal. Larrazábal was facing a challenging 2026, which Rai had noticed. So, he wanted to cheer the fellow DP World Tour pro with that gesture. Soon after, he received a similar gesture from Nicklaus.
The 2026 PGA Championship winner has spoken about the letter on numerous occasions since. Speaking ahead of The Open Championship, he said that the gesture showed the “class of what Jack is about.” Rai was very impressed and overwhelmed to know that someone like Nicklaus took the time to write him a letter.
Nicklaus, who has written to major champions for 40 years, sent Rai a handwritten note the week after his win.
Rai won the 2026 PGA Championship at nine-under 271, beating Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley by three strokes. It was a historic win because he became the first English pro to claim the Wanamaker Trophy in the stroke‑play era. He was also the first English winner since Jim Barnes in 1919.
While performing his pre-tournament media duties today, he also noted that he felt very surprised, in a positive way, after the win because of how well it was received. Fellow professionals like Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and even runner-up Rahm spoke very highly of the 31-year-old.
The Northern Irishman went on to say that there won’t be a more popular winner this year. While watching Rai close in on victory, McIlroy admitted that not one person at Aronimink would be unhappy for him.
The euphoria faded quickly. Since the PGA Championship, Rai’s form has faltered—no top-10 finishes in nine starts. In fact, he missed the cut thrice across these nine events at the RBC Canadian Open, the Genesis Scottish Open, and The Open. But he is ready to take on the challenge this week.
Aaron Rai opens up about his preparation for the BMW PGA Championship 2026
After a poor stretch on the PGA Tour since the PGA Championship win, the Englishman took a little time off.
“Yeah, not too bad. I haven’t competed, I think, for three weeks. The second playoff event over on the PGA TOUR was the last event. Again, when there’s a break of three weeks, you never quite know how it’s going to stack up in terms of tournaments. Yeah, practice has felt pretty good, so we’ll see how it goes,” Aaron Rai said when asked about how he feels about his game going into this week’s DP World Tour event.
His last event was the BMW Championship in late August 2026. It was a good game because he bounced back after a T63 at the previous game at the St. Jude Championship. He shot 68-71-67-68 at the BMW Championship to finish tied for 16th.
As an England resident, the BMW PGA Championship is his home event. He made his debut at this event in 2018, and he admitted that it has always held a special place in his heart.
As Aaron Rai prepares for the BMW PGA Championship, he will look to rediscover the form that made his major breakthrough possible earlier this year. And while his results since the PGA Championship have been inconsistent, the handwritten gesture from Jack Nicklaus remains a memorable part of a victory that changed his career.