When Pablo Larrazábal opened his locker room at the Genesis Scottish Open last week, he found a handwritten letter from Aaron Rai. The letter included photos of the Spaniard holding the trophies he had won on the DP World Tour. Many are calling it the best sportsmanship moment of the year. But that gesture from the PGA Championship 2026 winner didn’t come out of the blue. He drew inspiration from the veteran Jack Nicklaus.

“After the PGA I received a handwritten letter from Jack Nicklaus, which was kind of surreal when we opened the mail. Yeah, for someone like that to take the time to write to me after the PGA, it definitely shows the class of what Jack is about,” Aaron Rai said before the Open when asked if someone has made any similar gesture for him.

“Then on a separate note of last week, again, it just felt like the right thing to do. It was Pablo Larrazábal. We’ve played quite a bit together in the past. It was the first that I’d heard he’d been struggling a little bit during the season, so it felt like just the right thing to do. So that’s where it came from really.”

🤔 golf trivia

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Name the Analyst Who Joked about "DeChambeau Grand Slam of Missed Cut"

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PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

The Golden Bear has a long track record of mentoring young professionals and praising them for their achievements. He is a steward of the game whose influence remains very deep both on and off the course. Even something as simple as the famous handshake he shares with the winner after the Memorial Tournament is inspirational to many.

Justin Thomas shared an incident from 2016 when there were high expectations for him after an exceptional rookie year. However, his game was going nowhere, and so he thought of seeking advice from Jack Nicklaus.

“I was nervous to do it, but it was the coolest thing when I first met him. We had lunch before I got in The Bear’s Club, and for someone of his status and how comfortable I felt around him, I give him a lot of credit for that,” Thomas said.

Similarly, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel, and many other professionals have praised the 18-major winner for his nature. In fact, when Jordan Niebrugge qualified for the Masters in 2014 and later for the Open in 2015, Nicklaus sent him a hole-by-hole crib sheet on how to play at St Andrews.

So, when Aaron Rai won his first major title this year, Nicklaus took time to send a handwritten note to him. Rai took inspiration and did something similar for Pablo Larrazábal. When he met Larrazábal during the practice sessions at the Scottish Open, he learned that the Spaniard was feeling down about his game. And why wouldn’t he? Larrazábal has had no top 25 finish in 18 starts this season. So, Rai sent him a handwritten note through his brother to lift his spirits and morale.

“Pablo, the guy in this picture is you and is much closer to the present you than you think. Keep fighting, keep working hard, and most importantly, keep believing. In each tournament, each round, and each shot. Best wishes, Aaron Rai,” the note read.

The English professional told the DP World Tour that he himself had received notes from some golfers after his PGA Championship win.

The 31-year-old was an underdog at the 2026 PGA Championship. While no one was talking about him before the event, he came around and won it by three shots over Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley. He opened with an even‑par 70. Then, he started building momentum with rounds of 69 and 67. But it was the final round of 65 that helped seal the victory.

Thanks to the confidence and momentum he gained at the PGA Championship, Aaron Rai has a chance to seal another major at the 2026 Open Championship.