For saving her younger son from his brother’s accidental hockey stick attack, Dalvir Shukla, who had immigrated from Kenya to England, bought a golf iron for Aaron Rai—the 31-year-old who has now become the first Englishman in 107 years to win the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship.His father, Amrik, who was born in England, observed Rai’s sharp swing and in no time started reading golf books to build his son’s interest in the sport.“He bought me a set of Titleist 690 MBs when I was seven, which were the top Titleist clubs at that time. I practiced every day, in all weather. When the clubs got muddy, my dad used a pin to clean every groove. Then he’d put baby oil on the face to prevent rust. He bought me iron covers to protect them. I learned early to value what I had,” said Rai after winning the PGA championship, recalling his father’s dedication to the sport.Today, Rai, with his Indian professional golfer wife Gaurika Bishnoi as his caddy, won the PGA Championship with a score of 9-under par (70-69-67-65), finishing three shots above Spain’s Jon Rahm and American Alex Smalley.Before this week, Rai had just one PGA Tour title to his name. He has now achieved a rare feat of becoming the first Jaat Sikh to win a major PGA event. In 2024, he became only the second Jatt Sikh golfer after Arjun Atwal to win a PGA Tour event. Incidentally, both won the Wyndham Championship—Atwal in 2010 and Rai in 2024.Rai also ended one of golf’s longest-standing droughts. It had been 107 years since an Englishman last won the PGA Championship. In 1919, Jim Barne had won the matchplay event.Rai overpowered six-time major champion Rory McIlroy, 2022 Open champion Cam Smith, two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas, and Jon Rahm, winner of the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters.The love for golfer wifeRai, a second-generation immigrant in England, is married to Gaurika Bishnoi. Interestingly, Gaurika herself is a professional golfer and has been one of India’s leading women golfers over the last 10 years. She has eight wins in India’s Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour and has been competing on the Ladies European Tour since turning professional in 2016.Gaurika was Rai’s caddy during the 2025 Masters Par-3 Contest, where she had a viral moment after hitting a shot further than him on a hole. Rai later returned the favour by serving as her caddie during a Ladies European Tour event in October 2025.After winning the title, Rai credited Gaurika not only for helping him handle the chaos of major championship golf, but for sharpening his mindset during the tense final stretch. The pair had even discussed strategy in the car the night before the final round, a conversation Rai admitted stayed with him throughout his march to history.The victory ended with tears and a warm hug as the couple knew the struggle behind the historic win.“She’s been incredible. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn’t be here without her – both as a companion, as a friend, as someone I’m sharing my life with, but also as a real support system for my game. She’s a professional golfer herself, so her mindset, her advice and her thoughts, whether it’s technique or the way I’m holding myself, are absolutely invaluable. She brings so many different sides in her opinions,” appreciated Rai after the win.His PGA title win fetched him a winner’s cheque of USD 3.68 million from the tournament’s record-breaking USD 20.5 million purse.